What I Learned In 2017

1. Don't depend on others for happiness

      Your happiness is your happiness. It doesn't belong to anyone else. You are in full control of your happiness and how you feel. Appreciate everything you can do. Be happy about yourself. Be happy and appreciate all the cool and amazing things others are doing too but don't let them determine whether you are happy or not. Stop looking for happiness in others and waiting for someone to make you happy and create happiness in yourself. 

2. Everything happens for a reason

      Life is full of ups and downs, and most likely you know that by now. You have experienced many highs but also of course experienced some lows. Typically, we as humans, only concentrate and remember the bad times. We need to remember that the bad and good times are what make us who we are today. The bad times make us stronger and wiser and the good times make us appreciate all the little things and remind us to make the most out of every day. I 100% wouldn't be the person or even where I am today without the bad times. 

3. Don't do anything to only impress someone else

      Doing things to impress people is something I found myself doing a lot. Unknowingly I haven't truly been myself in years, simply because I changed my personality and altered my attitude towards many things to get along with certain people and impress others. This was an aspect to my eating disorder. I felt people would like me more if I was stick thin.. which was totally insane. If someone doesn't like you for who you truly are, they can jog on. You don't deserve anyone that doesn't accept you for who you are. Everything in life is much easier when you stop concerning yourself with what everyone else is doing. 

4. Be kinder to yourself and others

      It is so so important to be kind to yourself and have respect for yourself. You deserve so much happiness and it is important you give yourself it. You will feel happier and healthier when you practice self love and be positive towards others too. What you say about others says more about you than the person. Others deserve just as much happiness and kindness as you do. It is so important to realise that you could fill someone with so much confidence and happiness just by a few kind words. That person should then be kinder to themselves and believe the words you said and then compliment others. It's like a cycle. Compliment yourself and others as much as possible!! 

5. Don't listen to the media

      The media is hugely responsible for the way we think and behave. It has slowly morphed our brains in the way we think, especially about our bodies and our idea of what is 'beautiful'. The media has made sure that we know what is beautiful and what is not. They show us gorgeous skinny underweight models and tell us this is beautiful. Turn the page and there is a curvy plus size model with the words 'we love curves' above them. On the next page is most likely a '7 Day Little Black Dress Diet' or 'How to lose up to 101lb in 7 days' diet plan guide plastered all over the 2 pages. Train yourself to believe you are beautiful and remember that your self worth isn't determined by what shape or size you are or what someone else thinks of you. 

6. Drive yourself to make dreams a reality

      Don't put yourself through something just for the sake of it. Make sure you are happy and whatever you are doing is leading to a dream or goal of yours. Think of a realistic dream life you want to live or something you want to do and push yourself to making that happen. If you want to drive, go out and learn how to drive. If you want to live in America, save up and move.. Don't just hang around and wait for it to magically happen, you need to work for it and chase it. 

7. Mental health comes before education

       You should always put yourself first but mental health is often brushed under the carpet because its not physically visible in most cases. There is a huge stigma around mental health especially in schools. I realised in 2017 that anyone and everyone's thoughts and happiness is 100% more important than a class test or anything that can be repeated when you are happy and well. The leaving cert is hyped up far too much and applies an overwhelming amount of pressure and stress on students that is really not necessary. If you fail or don't get the points you want, the world is not over. There is always a plan B. 

      Looking vvvv much forward to everything I have to learn and grow from in 2018!!!