Self-Worth

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becoming, blog, confidence, growth, happiness, Healing, journey, kindness, life, love, mental health, progress, Reflection, resilience, self-worth, Truth, writing

If you’ve read my past posts, you already know this is a theme for me: self-worth. It’s a constant push and pull inside my head. Am I enough? Am I too much? Am I worth it at all? Those questions echo louder some days than others, but they’re always there in the background.

Lately, I’ve been trying to shift how I talk to myself. To pause when the negative thoughts try to creep in and remind myself that I am not defined by them. Those voices don’t get to have the final say. I want to be the one who writes the definition of my worth.

That doesn’t mean I don’t crave approval. Honestly, it’s hard not to care about what the people I love think of me. I still want to be seen in their eyes as “enough.” But I’m learning that as much as their opinions matter, they can’t be the whole story. I have to matter to me, first.

Part of that means keeping promises to myself. Even small ones. Because every time I follow through, I build proof that I can rely on me. And with each promise kept, a little confidence takes root.

Respecting myself has been harder. My past is messy, and sometimes it feels like it’s written all over me in permanent ink. It’s so easy to slip into old patterns of tearing myself down, of rehearsing every mistake I’ve ever made. But then I catch myself and remember: I am not that person anymore. I’m allowed to grow, to rewrite the story.

I’ve been trying to surround myself with people who lift me up. Those who make me feel seen and valued. I do my best to reflect that back, to let them know how much they mean to me. Because love and care should never go unsaid. And as I keep learning how to see myself clearly (the good, the flawed, the becoming) I’m also learning how to love all the parts that make me, me.

I’m a work in progress, and that’s okay. Progress is still forward. The trick is not letting the failures set up camp in my head, not letting them claim ownership of who I am.

I’ve also found comfort in my hobbies. Two things I know I’m genuinely good at. Every time I show up for them, I see a little more of my worth reflected back at me. They remind me that I am capable, creative, and more than the doubts I carry.

So yes, maybe this post is a bit of a ramble. But sometimes you just have to let the words spill out. And if you’ve read this far, thank you. Truly. That kind of quiet presence means more than you know.

Wherever you are today, I hope you remember your own worth too and I hope you’ll have a great day.

Questions

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Courage, fear, growth, life, love, questions, relationships, strength, Truth, vulnerability, writing

I am always so full of questions and I’m always half scared to ask most of them.

It’s not that I don’t want the answers. It’s that I’m not sure I’m ready for them. Some questions feel like doors that, once opened, can’t ever be closed again. And there’s a strange safety in keeping them locked.

I wonder sometimes if I’m missing out on clarity by holding back. If the things that could heal me or set me free are on the other side of the very questions I keep swallowing. But I also know myself — I know how deeply I feel, how much words can stay with me. Maybe I hesitate because I don’t want to carry answers that I can’t put down.

Still, the questions never really leave. They just circle inside me, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, always there. And I keep learning, little by little, that asking is its own kind of courage. That even if the answers sting, I’m strong enough to hold them. And maybe the bravest thing I can do is start asking anyway.

I am not a writer

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connection, feelings, happiness, Healing, honesty, life, love, self, Truth, writing

I don’t write novels, novellas, or even short stories. I journal. I blog here. That’s where my words belong.

What do I enjoy most about writing? Honestly, it’s the way it helps me breathe again. Some days my head feels heavy with thoughts I can’t quite carry. Writing is how I set them down. It’s how I sort through the mess and find the pieces worth keeping.

I spent a long time swallowing my words, burying my feelings so deep that even I couldn’t reach them. Writing is how I unearth them now. It’s my reminder that I’m still here, still feeling, still figuring it out.

And maybe, when I hit “post,” someone on the other side of the screen will read my words and think, me too. That moment of connection — even if I never know it happened — feels like a kind of healing.

At the heart of it, I write to free myself. But I share because maybe, just maybe, it frees someone else too.

Overused

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careful, communication, language, life, love, meaning, overuse, relationships, speech, Truth, weight, words, writing

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

If I had to pick one word that too many people use, it might be “literally.”

Not because I hate the word itself — it has its place — but because we’ve started using it for everything. And half the time, what people mean is actually figuratively. I’ve heard “I literally died laughing” enough times to know we’ve completely abandoned the original definition.

It’s not just “literally,” though. I think it’s bigger than that. We latch onto certain words because they sound strong or dramatic, and before long they’ve been used so much that they lose their weight. Words like “love,” “hate,” “always,” and “never” start to feel thin if they’re thrown around without meaning behind them.

Maybe that’s why I’m always trying to be careful with my words. I don’t want to wear them out. I want them to land when I use them. If I say “I love you,” I want it to still feel like a whole sentence, not a reflex.

So yes, I might roll my eyes when “literally” gets abused. But mostly, I just want us all to use our words like they matter — because they do.

Wonderful

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Beauty, childlike, happiness, Hope, Joy, life, love, magic, notice, slow, spark, wonder, writing

Inspired by watching the ongoing meteor shower last night. Some people lose it somewhere along the way. That spark. That sense of curiosity and delight about the world. Life gets heavier, routines get tighter, and suddenly everything starts to feel… predictable.

I think that’s one of the saddest things — watching someone forget how to be amazed. Forgetting that the sky can still surprise you. That the smell of rain is worth stopping for. That there’s magic in the ordinary if you bother to look for it.

But some people? They never let go of it. They still get excited over fireflies and snow days. They still point out funny-shaped clouds. They still find joy in the little things most of us rush past.

I think we need more of that. More moments where we let ourselves be amazed. More permission to slow down and notice. More willingness to see beauty without immediately trying to capture or explain it.

Childlike wonder isn’t naivety — it’s hope in motion. It’s choosing to believe the world can still surprise you. And I don’t know about you, but I want to keep that spark as long as I can.

Needful Things

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belonging, blog, cozy, games, happiness, hidden, life, love, mental health, playful, quirky, secret, treasure, wander, welcome, writing

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

That’s actually a tougher question than it seems because I have too many interests to settle on just one thing. So, naturally, my shop would be a little bit of everything.

First, there would be light snacks, coffee, wine, and sodas — something for every mood and every type of person who wanders in. Maybe you’re on your lunch break, maybe you just need a few minutes away from the chaos, maybe you want to linger and people-watch. Either way, you’ll have a cozy corner waiting for you.

I’d have tables set up for games. The small, easy-to-learn kind. Some would be solo for those who like their quiet, others for when you want to challenge a friend (or a stranger who’s about to become one).

And here’s my favorite part: a secret back room. No, not that kind of secret room… okay, maybe exactly that kind of secret room, but instead of VHS tapes, it would be filled with books. Old, new, rare, weird. The kind of place you’d only find if you knew to look for it — IYKYK.

There’d also be a section for my sport — equipment, accessories, the little extras that make playing more fun. You’d probably leave with something you didn’t even know you needed.

And because no quirky little shop is complete without it, I’d have shelves full of knick knacks and cute-but-completely-useless things. Things you don’t need but instantly want. Things that make you smile just by existing. I’d also like to have local art for sale on the walls.

In short, it would be the kind of place you could pop into for five minutes or lose an entire afternoon in without realizing it.