To Someone Struggling,

I have this really crazy idea. And that idea is you need to start loving yourself.

You need to wake up early and watch the sunrise and listen to the birds chirp little melodies. You need to head to your favorite coffee shop and sit next to a stranger who is reading peacefully and start a conversation about the novel in their hand.

You need to buy all your favorite albums and have a stash in your car for days you have time to drive for miles with the windows down. You need to come home after a long day and run the shower over your skin until it's red and raw. Make yourself a snack of apple slices with peanut butter or pizza with ranch. Eat it in your bed and then wash all your sheets with your favorite detergent.

Bury your face in the scent of home. Buy yourself the prettiest bouquet of flowers the market has to offer. Take a walk and watch as the sun dances on the buildings at sunset. Love yourself and stop being so sensitive. Stop taking things so personally. No one thinks of you as much as you think they might. But do remind people that you think of them occasionally. Compliment that girl in your class on her purple hair and tell that boy you like his shirt.

Tell someone their eyes remind you of your favorite vacation spot where the water is the clearest of blues. Remind your boyfriend he has impeccable taste in music and reassure your girlfriend she's the smartest one in the room. You need to resist getting worked up over things that won't matter next week. Stay tucked into bed until late afternoon on Saturday. And Sunday, too, if that's what makes you happy. You need to stop wondering why he stopped caring months ago or why your friends stopped reaching out to you once you left. Don't worry about things that are out of your control. Focus instead on what you can. And please, quit asking people for their opinions. So go ahead and love yourself. You need to and you deserve to. My crazy idea might lead you somewhere great.

From Someone Who Needed This A Long Time Ago