Being negative and especially harsh on ourselves is obviously nothing new, or so I thought. For a majority of my life, I always assumed that everyone was equally critical of themselves compared to others. As naive as this may sound, it still shocked me when I found myself constantly being told by those around me that I was too hard on myself, and I needed to change that fact about myself. Whenever I asked my friends about what I could do to improve my character, the answer was more or less the same; I need to learn to not be so critical of myself.

Moreover, I’ve started to notice that some of my friends pick up the same negative attitude towards themselves that I have. It wasn’t until then that I realized just how concerning it was to see someone mentally beat themselves up over something that was out of their control.

These past few days, I’ve been having a pretty hard time both at school and in my social groups, and so my mood has been steadily worsening. However, I don’t want to cause my friends and anyone else who cares about me concern. Even though it’s something I’ve felt out of place in doing, my solution to this is to encourage myself to stay positive, and refuse to let my emotions drag me down into a hole that I can’t climb out of. I interact more with my friends, and attempt to engage more socially.

What I’m trying to say, I suppose, is to not let yourself be overcome by your own emotions. As someone who has a very difficult time overcoming my feelings, taking the first step out of one’s comfort zone is the only way to truly reflect and help yourself. Moreover, it’s important to spread positivity and kindness as much as possible. You never know what kind of day someone might be having, so it’s always good to do your best to ensure that you don’t contribute in someone’s day being miserable.