Olivia Photography Zoe Flynn
shaped by the demands of people who are not privileged to the wonders in your head. For years I had believed a lie, this dangerous voice that told me I didn’t belong. But here’s the truth: I am valuable, even if I am nerdy, even if I am weird, even if I like to be alone. I have worth regardless of whether or not my opinions match those of the majority. Don’t let anyone dull your joy. Don’t let anyone tell you to be different. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t fit in just because you want something other than what they want. It is okay to do what makes you happy, even if it’s not viewed as normal. You don’t have to justify yourself to anyone. I felt horrible sinking into depression because I felt like I didn’t have a right to be sad. I ignored the danger of the negative things I was feeling because I felt that I was wrong to admit how damaged I was. I felt that I was a fraud. I used to remind myself that there were people with real problems out there, and I used to tell myself that I wasn’t one of them. But saying that you can’t be sad because others have it worse is just like saying you can’t be happy because others have
it better. Your feelings are real, and you have the right to respond to them and to take care of yourself – no matter what the world tells you. I am still learning to love myself. There are days where my insecurities rear their heads just like they used to, moments where I wish I could sink into the floor, sometimes entire weeks where I feel as though everything I do is wrong. I still have anxiety about making friends. I’m still afraid of people thinking I am too this or too that. One of my future roommates has already noticed my tendency to downgrade my accomplishments and opinions. But through this all, I am still so much better because I am remembering that it’s okay to take care of myself too. It’s okay to make myself happy. There is a difference between being selfish and being healthy, and it’s a difference I had to understand in order to heal. No matter what you’re going through, you are valuable. No matter what you feel, you have worth. You are not a mistake and you are not a failure. You absolutely belong. Take time for yourself. Be honest with yourself. Never force yourself to do something that doesn’t bring you joy simply because the world says you ought to. Someone will love you just as you are – I promise. I didn’t think it was possible, but it happened even to me and I will never be able to verbalize how freeing that is. If you are with the right people, you will not have to feel inferior. You will not have to feel wrong. Instead, you will feel capable of moving mountains and etching skies. It’s a suffocating life when you live for the approval of others, but you have the ability to let yourself breathe. You are important. You are worthy. You are allowed to be yourself, and you are allowed to love yourself.