July 2023: I chose this picture because I feel like it represents the person I am today. It was taken in the summer after I went on my self-love journey. In those eight months, I took time to really know myself on a deeper level, learned to date myself, healed my inner child, and became my own soulmate and best friend. Because of all the work I put in, I’m now someone who LOVES her solitude more than anything, puts herself first, doesn’t tolerate friendships just for the sake of time, and is firm with her boundaries. She’s quick to cut people off if they don’t align with her, but most importantly, she knows her worth.
I went from a girl who would be embarrassed to be seen eating at a restaurant alone, scared people would think I was a “loner,” to a girl who took herself out to dinner on Valentine’s Day and sat in a restaurant surrounded by couples.
What changed? I reframed my mindset from “They’ll laugh at me” to “I’m my own soulmate, so why wouldn’t I celebrate the love I have for myself? And even if people were laughing at me, it doesn’t matter. The only opinion that matters is my own.”
