It is a Friday night. You scroll through your Snapchat and see a whole bunch of people from your social group ready to take on a night at the bars or go to eat downtown. While all of these people that you know are going to hang out, you are at home watching Netflix with the same people you always hang out with.
It is easy to think that just because you are not invited to hang out with the crowd that you are not worth anything. It is tempting to envy how happy and carefree they look on their Facebook Live videos and sometimes, the self doubt goes to your head and makes you think there is something wrong with you. It is especially dangerous when you have a long break with nothing to do and you find yourself checking your phone every 12 seconds to see if anyone has texted you. But in all honesty, you have something that the big groups don't have. You have a close circle of friends that love you and care about you just as you are, whether out on the town or just cuddled up on the couch. Most of the time, when you are in a big group, it is easy to fake a smile just to feel included even if you are not really having a good time. But when you are with your circle, you know that your happiness is genuine.
Your small circle might not even be made of friends. They might include your siblings, your parents or even your significant other. Regardless of who they are, these are the people who will encourage you, love you, and hold you accountable. They have seen you at your worst and still think the world of you. If you are lucky enough, eventually you will get to the point where something like going to hang out at your parent's house is your idea of "a night on the town". Spending time with people who matter means more than spending a couple hours partying and wishing you were with them instead. This does not mean that going out is a bad thing, it just means that you shouldn't fret if you do not get invited to every single event you hear about.
It all boils down to understanding that your self worth does not depend on how many people you are with or what you spend your Saturday night doing. You are worth more than how your Snapchat friends make you feel. Let the people who mean the most to you know how much you value them in your life. In the end, they are going to be the ones who pick you up when you have nothing left.
A special thank you to the people in my circle for making my life worth while.
