Now the title can be very misleading - you should always care about things like friends, family, your well-being, and other things that are important to you.
What it means is that it's okay to not care what people think about you.
In middle school, I was very self-conscious. I didn't think I was pretty like the rest of my friends, and every time I saw a group of kids whispering, I was constantly paranoid that they were talking about me. I spent way too much time trying to perfect my makeup and too little time on my schoolwork.
Obsessively caring about my outwards appearance only made me more insecure. My self-confidence plummeted, and I became depressed. If I wasn't perfect, why even try?
Eventually, as I got older, I realized I didn't care about what people think. That just wasn't who I was. I spent all these years trying to please others, when I should have been trying to better myself, for myself.
Now, as a sophomore in college, I couldn't care less about what people think of me. All that matters to me is what my family thinks of me, and what I think of me. Who cares if some random student on campus doesn't like your shoes or your hairstyle? It's nothing to sweat over. They're called personal preferences for a reason.
I have a few friends who simply find not caring difficult. They try their best to be accepted in today's society, and if it works for them, that's quite alright. But fitting into a social norm isn't worth your mental health and self-assurance.
It was hard for me to accept myself for who I was. I remember the first day I went to school without makeup, and I couldn't stop thinking about what people thought of my appearance. Now, it's a miracle if I do my makeup for class.
What I'm trying to say is, it's okay to be yourself unapologetically. If they don't like you? Screw them. They aren't worth your time if they don't like you for you.
You're so much more than what people you barely know paint you out to be. It's okay to not be perfect - no one is. Why give people the satisfaction of showing you care?
When I was in eighth grade, my mom told me to fake it until I make it. Every day, I would look in the mirror and tell myself that I was pretty. Eventually, I started to believe it. Now, I'm comfortable in my own skin and with my personality. If you tell yourself something over and over constantly, you'll begin to believe it. I'm asking you to do the same. Who knows - you might just surprise yourself.
