I truly am better at giving advice than taking it. That being said I am quite terrible at giving advice but I am a great listener. I am a true believer in the saying, “Things are easier than done.” From big problems to small ones, it is easier to tell someone to do things than it is for them to do it. My issue usually is my comfort level with things. Sometimes I feel so uncomfortable doing things or saying things to people. It’s like when someone tells you to invite your crush out to eat or maybe tells you to overlook your flaws.

As someone who cannot help but constantly points them out to myself, it doesn’t help when people tell me to suck it up or try to argue with me about it. This also goes hand-in-hand with anxiety. Small things push me over the edge and when one person tells you to suck it up, it gets a bit harder to do so. I end up becoming self-conscious because I know they’re paying attention or possibly judging me for something that is hard to control. That being said, most of the things that are easier said than done are the things one should aspire to do in their everyday lives.

A recent experience is a prime example of this. Last week, I was working with some of my friends and they were talking to me about asking my crush out. I was literally freaking out, as I couldn’t stop thinking about every worst case scenario that ever existed. But I texted him and now, we’re going to hang out over Spring Break. Sometimes, good things happen when you break out of your shell a little bit but that takes a lot of courage and confidence.

Before you can have true self-confidence, I believe, you need to love yourself. You have to truly embrace the meaning of self-love. How can you expect others to love you if you do not love yourself first? For me, the path to self-love comes about through self-care and trying to make myself do things that truly make me happy, not just for obligations.

These days I haven’t really been taking care of myself as much as I would like to and sometimes, taking care of yourself involves doing things that are not really fun. Maybe it’s going to all your classes, even though all you want to do is sleep.

Sometimes, self-love begins with other people. Maybe it's needing to vent because you can’t keep it all inside. Maybe it's realizing that the compliments people give you are amazing and make you feel beautiful. A lot of the time though, all you need is yourself, realizing that as self-conscious as you feel, people are not paying attention to you.

When I feel like that, reminding myself that the world does not revolve around me really helps. Maybe constantly saying “I’m beautiful” in the mirror is enough or maybe you need help figuring out how to love yourself. Whichever way works for you, it all ends in a more beautiful self.