One of the hardest things I have ever learned to do (and am still learning every day) is how to love myself exactly as I am. It is so sad to see in our society today how hard it is for everyone to accept themselves. We are constantly bombarded by images and messages telling us how to change ourselves, how to be sexier, skinnier, more successful, etc. The whole point is a constant demand for MORE. And it is exhausting and discouraging if you listen to these messages because you start seeing yourself as unworthy and not enough. There is nothing wrong with wanting to change things about yourself, but the important thing is still loving yourself exactly as you are in this moment because you are fighting.

For a long time all of the relationships in my life were poisonous because I was relying on everyone else to give me the love that I wasn’t giving myself. And when you constantly tell yourself that you don’t deserve love, you will always push it away and you will lose people who truly do love you. Even if you think you don’t deserve the love someone is giving you, they think you do! So stop trying to deny it and just accept the abundance of love that surrounds you!

The journey to loving yourself may be the longest and hardest journey you will ever take but it is certainly the most important. Until you truly respect yourself, you won’t be able to confidently accept the love that others want to give you. I went so many years truly hating the girl that I was. In my head I wasn’t pretty enough, skinny enough, strong enough, etc. I was just never enough. So I buried deep inside myself, which didn’t work because I didn’t like who I was. I exhausted myself trying to please everyone because I couldn’t handle the fact that I wasn’t happy with who I was. And let me tell you, if you have a powerful negative self-image, it WILL start poisoning you. I started losing weight rapidly, I stopped sleeping, my relationships suffered, I developed debilitating anxiety and depression, and I just truly stopped possessing any joy in my life at all. The most important relationship in my life suffered because I believed I was unworthy of love and my insecurities led to jealousy and a desire for constant reassurance. One of the reasons I know I have met the love of my life is because he stuck by me through my absolute darkest times, despite how hard it was on him.

At the end of the day, loving yourself is the most important journey you will ever take. My journey started with the absolute hardest year of my life. I will always be on this journey but I am finally at a point where I have started accepting who I truly am and am actually being proud of being myself. I’ve stopped wishing to be someone else. I’ve started loving my body, encouraging myself, finding acceptance through genuine friendships, and taking all the steps to recovery. You are your own biggest adventure. No one else can be your everything. I’ve learned that. It was up to me to find the change and joy that I had been desperately searching for. You are never alone by any means, but you can never place the sole weight of your happiness on someone else.

So, find adventures. Travel to somewhere that scares you. Create memories. Take a bubble bath. Enjoy the brownie. Enjoy the salads, too. Wear what makes you happy. Dance to your favorite song. Blast the music in your car. Find your support system. Find your tribe and love them ferociously. And most importantly, be your own biggest adventure.

Always and forever,

The Traveling Brunette