I have been in a relationship now with my boyfriend for a year and five months. It has been great learning everything about another person that I didn't expect to come into my life and make such a huge impact. It is amazing to know that I always have a best friend and someone to turn to when I am upset or having issues that I just want to talk to someone about. Being able to tell my boyfriend anything and not really being judged is so relieving and honestly, I think that makes our relationship pretty healthy. We still are always learning things about each other and constantly finding ways to fix things or just do things differently in certain situations. My relationship has changed and helped me a lot over this year and a half almost.

One thing that has definitely changed about me since being in my relationship is my maturity and the way I look at my future and life in general. I no longer think about just myself. I constantly am thinking about my boyfriend as well and our future, which sometimes I can be pretty unrealistic but, I know reality and a girl can dream ok. I have always been more mature for my age. When I meet my boyfriend I was eighteen and he was twenty-two. Which, my family freaked about but with my maturity level, I was basically a thirty-five-year-old mom (maybe not thirty-five but still). I have always liked to do things for myself and I HATE having to depend on others. Even though I was like that before my relationship, I feel like it has just grown more. I constantly want to do stuff for him but being a college student that isn't very possible which, is frustrating. He deserves the world.

My boyfriend has changed my outlook on life drastically. Before my relationship, I was going through a really hard time mentally from something that happened that I do not speak about often at all. I was dealing with a lot of emotional issues and panic attacks. My outlook on life was that I didn't really matter to the world and I was feeding off of my friends in order to be happy. Never rely on someone to be happy, period. I thought I was never going to be happy, which at eighteen almost every teenager is thinking that. When my boyfriend came in a swept me off of my feet it was like a light just turned on. I had hope again with being happy. It didn't work that quickly though. I was still dealing with my issues. Over the course of our almost year and a half long relationship, I have not had a panic attack since after a couple of months of dating. I always say it is thanks to my boyfriend for that. He makes me feel safe and loved. I like I said though do not completely rely on a person to make you happy though. You have to be your own person and create your own happiness in order to have a great life.

Another thing that has changed about me since being in a relationship is my confidence for sure. Don't get me wrong, I have my days where I hate how I look and all I do is complain about every part of my body but for the most part I feel great about myself. I will wear more revealing things now and feel great. I usually wear something over whatever I am wearing until I am comfortable in the atmosphere I am in but at least I wear what I want. On days where I am feeling on top of the world and as beautiful as ever, I will always say things to my boyfriend like, " I am so cute," or, "I look great." COMPLIMENT YOURSELVES LADIES! You don't need your man to tell you how great you are. Even though it is very nice and greatly appreciated when they do. Before my relationship, I never liked anything about myself, even when I was at my smallest size. It's crazy how much a relationship can change the way you look at yourself, good or bad.

There is SO much more that has changed/helped me while being with my boyfriend. I could keep writing but I'd be writing a twenty-page essay basically. Anyways, I could never express how grateful and happy I am that my boyfriend is in my life. He is literally the best thing that has happened to me and I am forever grateful. (Even when he is grumpy.)