Cassie DeNisco

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How I Let Self-Doubt Hold Me Back

I think for most of us, we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to self-doubt not feeling good enough for the things in our life. For myself, I know that I easily could let my stress and anxiety about change and new experiences control my life but I try my hardest to not let it. Letting things that scare you control your life isn’t a healthy way to live but a lot of us decide to not overcome the things that stress us out.

Self- doubt has been a huge factor in my life and honestly has controlled some of the decisions I have made. I often feel either not worthy enough for the things in my life or I let the fear of the unknown consume me. It often consumes me so much that I sometimes won’t do certain things or will not go all out in situations that I really would have liked to. I know for a fact if I started truly believing in myself whole-heartedly, I wouldn’t be as anxious of a person as I am.

For a little context, I used to think I was just an extremely indecisive person. Once I dove deeper and tried to get to the root of my problems, I realized that I just wait for “signs” on how to handle situations and and make decisions that may or may not come. And if they don’t come, I let fear take over and not do whatever it is I really want to do. It literally took me almost 22 years of my life to realize this but once I got to the root of my indecisiveness, I realized it was my own self-doubt that was holding me back.

This week alone I have had to make some major “big girl” decisions for myself and I almost talked myself out of them, even though they were things that I really wanted. Just take a moment to think about that, I almost let two amazing opportunities pass me by because I was scared. It was comforting to know that I had other people’s support no matter what I did but ultimately it had to be me making the decision as to whether or not I would pursue these things. Although I’m super nervous, I know that I just need to in a sense rip the bandaid off and get to it.

Having the courage to fight yourself in situations is definitely not easy but is so necessary if you’re like me and are constantly in your head. You can let your internal fears and doubts run your life. Just because something scares you and you’re nervous about it, doesn’t mean you can’t do it and succeed at it. Once you’re in a mindset where you are confident with yourself about your decisions and situations, you’ll realize the life filled with self-doubt that you lived before wasn’t healthy. Whether it has to do with body positivity or fear about how you life is going to turn out, you just have to let it go and start living your life for yourself.

I wish I could tell you an easy way to overcome whatever mental struggles and self-doubt you’re going through, but like I said, it truly took a long time to become at peace with myself. I realized that I can handle situations and I shouldn’t allow the things that make me anxious to live my life. It is truly so liberating when you are able to take your life back and start doing things that make you happy. The light at the end of your tunnel will come and you will make it through whatever scares you. I mean, at the end of the day, if it doesn’t scare you at least a little, is it even worth doing?

Don’t for get to listen to me new podcast Chit Chats with Cass on Apple and SoundCloud.. new episodes every Monday!

My Favorite Apps to Edit Instagram Photos

Everyone knows that the key to a great Insta feed is having uniformity in all your pictures which is best achieved with a photo editor. This might be easy if you want to keep reusing the same photo but an easier way to make pictures look the same is in how you edit them. I seriously go back and forth with if I liked edited photos or if I prefer them more natural but recently I’ve found a hack that makes all my photos look so great!

My secret to editing photos starts with the apps you use. For the longest time I was just using VSCO but found that it was hard to save the changes I made so that I could reuse them later on another picture. I’d always have to go back in and try to remember the exact numbers I had used in brightness and contrast so that the pics would look the same. I still like VSCO for the presets but now that I really have figured out what I like with my photos my latest obsession is with 2 apps that I doubt I could live without.

I initially decided to purchase the Afterlight app because I loved the presets that they had. When creating my blog, I wanted my photos to be bright, clean and maybe have a hint of pink in them and I found that the Lumen preset makes my photos look exactly how I want them to if I’m taking blog photos for just objects.

My holy grail for every photo I take of myself is actually Lightroom. I use the free version for the iPhone but I do know that the desktop version does have a monthly subscription. Lightroom is awesome because it does have some great presets but it is seriously SO easy for me to save the settings that I love as my own presets. I usually will pick one of my presets and then just adjust as needed and it gives my Instagram feed the same vibe.

Another app that I love but don’t use that often is the Unum app. This app is actually used to plan out your feed so it really helps you pick and choose which photo should go where. I also love this app because there’s a whiten feature that helps brighten up and make my white wall photos really pop.

I seriously understand how scary editing Instagram photos can be but the apps I have shared with you seriously help make life easier. The key to a great Instagram is of course the actually photo but having all these tools and resources to help enhance those photos is so helpful. Let me know in the comments below if you have any photo hacks or editing tips that you can’t live with out!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco!

5 Time Management Tips You Can’t Live Without

It’s the best and worst time of year for college students: syllabus week. This is the week of easy transitions back into college classes after a great summer. It’s also the week that reality sets in and you realize how much work and responsibilities that you have again. Have no fear though, I’m here with my best time management tips and tricks to keep you stress free this semester!

  1. Invest in a Planner

I can’t stress this enough, if you don’t have somewhere to write your events and due dates then you probably won’t remember them. Using iCal, Google Calendar, or a good old fashion planner you write in is absolutely essential in maximizing your time and not missing out on important things.

2. Prioritize Assignments

If you’re like me, reading for classes is something quick and easy where as it takes me much longer for written assignments. At the beginning of every week I like to make a to do list with when I need to have certain assignments done by so that I can stay on track and know exactly what to do which assignment when. Half the battle is starting and its so hard to start when you know you have so many other things to do.

3. Know When to Ask for Help

There’s literally no worse feeling then being seriously stumped on some math problems but just wasting time staring at it hoping it’ll come to you. Professors have office hours multiple times a week and I’m sure other people in your classes will be so willing to give you a little help too. Don’t spend the whole week struggling when you could’ve easily had the answer right away.

4. Getting Balance takes Time

Having a work, live, and social balance will take you more than just one week of back to school. Give yourself time to figure it out and know which classes will take you longer to do during the week. By feeling out what your week is going to look like, you’ll easily know how much time you can have to spend with friends and know when you need to do a little more studying so you aren’t stressed at work. Make sure you ALWAYS make time for yourself because self-care is the best care!

5. Don’t Procrastinate

You’ve probably heard this one a thousand times but here’s your friendly reminder that procrastination just adds to stress. I know a lot of people like the excuse that they do well under pressure but why even add that pressure to your life. If you start assignments early you’ll have plenty of time to be able to finish it and get to do the things you want to during the week. And with the technology we have today, you never know when uploading an assignment will go wrong and then you won’t have the chance to correct the problem before the deadline.

Time management is a skill and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Knowing how to prioritize things and balance your life is something that you’ll have to do for the rest of your life so you might as well start getting into the habit of it now. There’s no better time than the beginning of the school year to work on time management to get yourself into a routine that helps make your life much easier!

College Meal Prep Guide

Back to school for a lot of people usually means back into a routine. I know for me it means attempting to get back into the groove of eating healthy. This often is way easier said then done because being a college student means you don’t have a lot of time. Between balancing classes, studying, jobs/internships, and a social left, it doesn’t leave much time in the day for cooking healthier meals. I know for me that having something already ready to eat makes eating healthier way easier. Meal prepping is definitely time consuming but setting a side some time one day out of the week to prep your food or snacks will make your life seriously easier in the long run.

The key to meal prepping is having the right tools. First, I would seriously consider investing in an air fryer. Having mine has seriously changed the game. I cut up all my veggies and then just stick them in the air fryer for like 15 minutes. When they’re done, they’re so tasty and they cooked so quickly. I also like using it for my proteins. I cut them up, season them and I swear it cuts the cooking time in half. Aside from the air fryer, I also like to make sure I have the right containers to help the food last during the week. If you search on Amazon “meal prep containers” so many come up but I have my favorite bins and bags below!

Now let’s get into my favorite meal ideas!

Breakfast

Everyone always talks about overnight oats but I’m not gonna lie to you, I think they taste awful and can get really unhealthy with all the stuff you add to them. One of my all time favorite breakfast recipes are these little muffin cups. They have sausage and cheese in them and seriously keep you full. They’re easy to make too so you can prep them on a Sunday and have a great school/work breakfast for the week!

Ingredients:

Pre cooked Breakfast sausage

3 Eggs

3/4 c Shredded Cheese

1 Biscuit packet

Directions:

Pre heat your oven to 350 and mix all of the ingredient above together in a bowl. Grease a muffin pan and then pour the mixture into each section of the pan. They only cook for 6-7 minutes so this recipe is quick and easy!

Lunch/Dinner

I decided to lump these two together because I usually make enough meals that I can mix and match with dinner and lunch. One of my all time favorite recipes is a chicken stir fry with white rice. Life hack: you can get white rice in microwavable packets in the grocery store that are already cooked, you just reheat them. These are my favorite veggies to use but feel free to make it your own!

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast cubed

Peppers, Broccoli, Carrots

Coconut Aminos

White rice

Directions:

Marinate your chicken in a 1/4 c of the coconut aminos, then place it in your air fryer and cook it up for about 20 minutes. Let your air fryer cool and then put in your chopped up veggies and cook for 10-12 minutes depending on how crispy you like them. Once done, put the rice in your meal prep containers and then add your chicken and veggies!

These meals are seriously my favorite because they’re yummy and easy. I love meal prepping because it helps me to stay on track with my goals for eating healthy. These recipes are great for high schoolers, college students, and even for people who work because meal prepping helps save so much time. Comment below some of your favorite meals to make ahead of time!

Boy, Bye

I’ve definitely had my fair share of relationships in my lifetime and I’ve seen enough to know that a huge problem in relationships is not knowing when to call it quits. For a lot of people, they realize that the relationship isn’t doing what it is supposed to anymore but continue to hold on to it. Other people let relationships run their lives and stop them from pursuing the things important to them.

Whether it’s the fear of being alone or fear of not having that person in your life anymore, you need to realize that relationships should be happy and then need to contribute positively to your life. My post Babe, Stop Apologizing, touched on the idea that you shouldn’t leave toxic people in your life just because you love them and that absolutely can be applied here. When the relationship isn’t what it used to be and you’ve tried everything in your power to make it work, you need to just walk away. You might be thinking, well that’s easier said then done but believe me there is so much more to this world then your crumby relationship.

I watched a lot of my in both high school and college just long for a boyfriend. They seriously would do anything to just have someone to call their own. I mean if you’re starting out a relationship with your history of being desperate for a boyfriend, it can’t end well and yet my friends somehow made it last. Basing your relationship off the idea that you don’t want to be lonely isn’t the healthiest start to one. A huge question that you need to ask yourself before getting a boyfriend or girlfriend is why am I doing this? Is it because I’m lonely or am I secure enough in my own skin that I can add to someone else’s life? You need to have yourself established before you can give anything to anyone else. You need to have your self-love and confidence in your own skin so that you’re the best version of yourself for someone else. You can’t pour into someone else’s cup if your own cup isn’t that full.

In the world we live in today, relationships look so different than they did in the past. If you look at statistics, people are waiting to get into relationships or not getting into them at all. Reasons vary but the general trend is anti relationships, and personally I’m all for it. Girls today have so much more freedom in what they can say and do, and to be honest most relationships hold girls back. In thinking about my own experiences, there were countless times that I didn’t pursue something because of the relationship I was in at the time. I look back now and ask myself “Was it worth it?” and considering I don’t even talk to that person anymore, it wasn’t.

Why do girls have to lose their identities when they’re in relationships. I wonder that a lot and think that the answer lies in the insecurities of the person they’re with. Most guys can’t handle girls that know what they want and where they’re going in life, especially if they have no clue where they’re going themselves. Girls shouldn’t worry about what their significant other is going to think. Relationships definitely should not run your life to the point that you lose all ambition for the dreams you had. This ties into my earlier point that you can’t get into a relationship that’s going to be happy and healthy until you are secure with who you are.

Now, I’m totally not advocating going out and breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend if you’re the slightest bit unhappy but if any of these scenarios I’ve mentioned fit you, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate somethings. You need to consider why you got into the relationship and how the relationship makes you continue to feel. Relationships are there to make you happy and to add to your life, they aren’t there to stop you from doing what you want to do in life or make you miserable.

Something else I want to touch on is that it is totally okay for you to communicate how you feel to your partner. I feel like a lot of people are afraid to make the first move in conversations because they’re worried it might come off the wrong way. You have to get comfortable enough with the person you’re with so that these types of conversations are easy and painless. It’s good to step back and reevaluate where you are in relationships from time to time so that you make sure you’re on the same page.

It took me a long time to get as comfortable and confident as I am now to even be talking about knowing when to leave a relationship or what not to do to get into one. I for so long hated being alone but now realize I’m better off alone then miserable with someone else. In my life right now I am so content with where I am in my relationship and I know that we both work to better each other and our relationship. If you’re not in a partnership with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you’re not in a good relationship and that when it’s time to say Boy, Bye.

Getting Back into A Routine After Vacation

Vacations always are so much fun but can mess with your daily routines. From eating unhealthy to going to bed whenever, getting back on track can sometimes be so difficult so I put together some of my favorite ways to reset after vacation and get back into your daily routine.

  1. Drink Water!!

I swear that I don’t drink enough water when I’m on vacation. The first thing that I do when I get home is fill up my hydro flask and get back into the routine of drinking so much water. Not only will it help with getting rid of all the food you ate during the vacay it’ll also help to get you back on track with eating healthy.

2. Restock your Fridge

I like to make a rule that after a vacation I’m only going to buy fresh produce and proteins. By setting a limit for myself on what I can and can’t buy, it makes it easier to not be tempted into having all the yummy foods I just ate during vacation. A big one for me is ice cream so I like to make sure it’s completely out of my house before I get back so I’m not even tempted, since it’s my favorite thing to get on vacation.

3. Slowly start to Workout

I can’t tell you how many times I force myself into the gym the day after I come home. Not only do I fell gross but I’m seriously just not into because I’m still in vacation mode. I find that by not going so hard right away, it makes it easier for me to get back into my normal workout routine.

4. Unpack right Away

GUYS!! This might be the most important thing you read: don’t leave your dirty laundry and unpacked suitcase just lying around. I know how insanely hard it is to unpack your bags after a great vacation but you just have to do it and not put it off.

5. Plan before you go

I love making a list of things that I want/need to do after I come back from vacation. This helps me keep myself accountable and stay on track with getting back into a routine. I always like to make sure my house is picked up and clean before I leave for vacation so that when I get back it’s just one less thing I need to worry about.

I am constantly traveling whether it’s family vacations or trips for work so I pretty much have it down to a science. Coming home from amazing trips is literally so difficult but you have to push through and get back on your routine. I promise you won’t regret this tips!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @cassiedenisco !

Comfy Clothes for Campus Style

One of the serious perks of online school is that I generally don’t have to get up and dressed everyday. It’s truly a blessing but sometimes I do feel like I want to at least look somewhat together but still comfy since I’m not really going out anywhere. My wardrobe has transitioned to more leggings, joggers, long sleeves and hoodies but I really like to try to buy things that I could possibly wear out if I go anywhere. I mean, I don’t need to look like a bum all the time.

Here are my favorite stores to get the comfiest back to school clothes!

Victoria’s Secret Pink

I seriously love VS Pink because of their comfy material. They have a cool, comfy campus vibe and that’s exactly what I would want to wear if I were at school or at home. From leggings to cute bralettes, VS Pink seriously has you covered in the comfy cute department. Make sure you utilize the Pink Nation app because it usually has all the deals in it and keeps you up to date on when things go on sale!

Target

Have you been in Target recently? Their Stars Above and Colsie lines are serious dreams come true. The material is so comfortable and soft. I like that they’re comfortable like pajamas but they have cute styles that you could wear them out in public and not look too bummy. I also love Target because its so affordable for us college students! (PS Click the picture to shop the set)

Old Navy

I used to hate Old Navy, like seriously could not even walk through the store because for the longest time they just didn’t have anything cute but Old Navy is really on the come up. I love their athletic line because for the prices, the quality is pretty great. I also love that their athletic line is really tailored to athleisure so you get the comfort of athletic clothes but they actually look pretty cool and put together. Like seriously how cute is this matching set??

One thing that I always like to stress is that you should never pay too much for clothes. With trends changing like the drop of a hat these days, never pay too much for clothes. Investments in bags, shoes, and acessories are generally your better bet because they are classics and won’t go out of style too quickly.

I hope you liked this first mini blog post in my Back to Campus Series. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss any posts!

Body Positivity + Self Love is Different for Everyone

Before I had even started my blog, I already had a million and one topics together that I wanted to write about. I wanted a place to share my experiences and hopefully inspire others to start living a life that they absolutely love. My blog has turned into an amazing platform for me to do that but I still haven’t even begun to discuss the topics I am most passionate about. One of those topics is body positivity and self-love.

I never want people to think of self-love and body positivity as an end goal that once you reach it, you don’t have to keep working for it. It’s not like that at all and if you neglect it, it’s only going to turn into a cycle of self-love and self-hate and that’s not something you need to be in the center of. I also want to stress that body positivity means that you love yourself the exact way that you are but that you also love everyone else for who they are regardless of their size, gender, sexual orientation or race. It’s 2019 and we all need to be inclusive and start acting with kindness towards one another and also remember that Instagram isn’t always the full story.

From the outside looking in, a simple scroll through my Instagram feed could tell you that I love the way I look. I’m constantly posting bikini pictures or revealing pictures that put my body on full display. I’ve always been told by boys, and even girls, that I have a great body and I have no reason to ever feel bad about myself. While this could be true, I had been constantly battling with my image for awhile until I just decided, it’s not worth it to constantly put yourself down.

For a little backstory, I went to a private Catholic School for most of my life. I transitioned to public school my freshman year of high school and that’s really where my perception of confidence and image got distorted. High school is already difficult enough but starting a new school with no friends was challenging. I had to navigate through high school with people that were really new to me as opposed to having the people that I had spent my entire life with. Not to mention, I went from wearing a bulky sweater, long plaid skirt, and knee high schools to whatever I wanted to wear everyday. I can remember thinking “Wow I look awful in this pair of jeans” or “I wish my stomach was just a little flatter to wear this crop top” but the people around me were always saying the opposite. It turned into this mess in my mind of what the heck do other people see that I’m just clearly not getting.

I worked out quite regularly from cheerleading and dancing, I ate super healthy and plant based-ish (I didn’t really eat meat but I don’t like to label myself), and I really did not drink or do anything too wild that would make me unhealthy but I constantly could just find something wrong with me. I always felt like no matter what I did I didn’t see results and just didn’t feel great about myself. It wasn’t until post high school when I wasn’t with the same people people everyday that I could finally start to see my worth and realize that image isn’t everything, regardless if being hot and skinny makes you feel more confident.

And while we’re on the topic of body confidence, let’s talk for a second. I have a love hate relationship with the concept of being confident. I think being confident is absolutely important and really can set the tone for how a person can act and interact with people. The problem that I have with confidence is where you get it. I could post a picture on Instagram, get 700 likes, and instantly feel great that people like me and that whatever picture I took looks great. Now, if that’s what you need to do to validate yourself then by all means do it but what happens when the numbers fall the next week and you get less likes or that Instagram shuts down and people don’t use it anymore? I also think confidence from other people is a tricky line because boys could tell you you’re hot one day and super ugly the next. You can’t rely on other people to feel good about yourself. You have to find a way to love yourself exactly how you are from within, not from anyone or anywhere else.

Once I started taking my own advice, I could feel a world of difference. I stopped placing my worth and value in other people and really focused on building myself up from the inside. As I write this now, I’ve never been happier with myself. It’s such a hard journey to take but it’s worth it knowing that you are content with who you are and how you look. For so long I listened to my friends say to me “You have no need to feel bad about yourself, so just stop”. Regardless of how everyone else thinks you look, the only person that matters is you.

And I think that’s really the message that I want to get across to you reading this. Body positivity and self love is so different for everyone and the journeys to get there could not be more different but that’s okay. This whole topics means something different for everyone. There’s no one size fits all in anything in life so you can’t think that you will be able to love yourself for the same reason that another person loves themself. You also can’t try to force someone to love themselves or else it will only be a quick fix. Stop comparing yourself to others because you need to live life on your own terms. The key in all of this is kindness. Remember to not only be kind to other people but also take the time to be kind to yourself.

#unfiltered #notsuckingin #don’tcare

A Day in My Life as a Blogger

Recently, I’ve been getting so many questions about what exactly I do as a blogger. A huge misconception about blogging is definitely that all bloggers have to do each week is write a blog post, upload it, and share it on social media. While that is true, it’s literally only a fraction of what I do each day, let alone each week.

A lot of people have different views towards bloggers and what exactly they do. From an outside perspective, it might seem like an easy hobby that you can make some money off of but I was seriously shocked when I started blogging and realized how much work actually has to go into it for your blog to be successful.

From brainstorming blog ideas to dealing with SEO tools, blog posts will typically take me at least 3 days to be completely finished. I constantly think back to when I started my blog and wonder how I thought uploading a blog everyday would be a good idea. After almost 3 months of consistent blogging and website traffic, I feel like I can share my typical day and maybe inspire one of you to start a blog of your own!

Just putting it out there that this day in my life is geared more towards the summer. I haven’t gone back to school yet and I haven’t started teaching dance again every night so I definitely see this routine drastically changing once September rolls around. Also, I decided to choose a Monday because I absolutely love Mondays. (I know you probably think I’m crazy)

Monday August 12th

7:30 am: I wake up every morning at 7:30 am, now this might not mean I’m out of bed but I am definitely awake and starting to check my social media accounts. I know how bad of a habit it is but I just like to get it over with first thing so that I kind of know what I need to do for the day.

8:00 am: I’m an avid morning workout person but lately I’ve been opting to stay home and workout instead of going out to a class or the gym. I like to go on walks or runs around my neighborhood or use the gym equipment that I already have at home. I try to at least do an hour and then hop in the shower, brush my teeth, and do my skincare routine.

9:00 am: By this time, I’m ready to sit down and get to work. I start every work day with checking my emails to answer back brands or people. I also make sure I’ve responded to any comments on my social media account or dm’s. After that, Monday’s I write my blog post for Wednesday’s so I usually get to work on that. Blog posts can take me anywhere from an hour to 3 hours to write based on what they’re about or if they’re a lot of images to include. Once my blog is written, I send over the pictures to my graphic designer and he puts together all of the promotional pictures for my Pinterest or my Instagram story. He works super fast so usually I’ll have them back that day. I wait a day to schedule and edit my blog post so I move on to researching keywords that are trending for my next blog post. Using more trending keywords from Google helps to boost your post on Google when people also search that term. I also like to schedule Pinterest pins using an app called Tailwind. It basically will automatically repin your posts which is good to help get more views on your content. I like to schedule my Instagram posts and stories for the week on Monday so that I have them all set and don’t really have to think about them during the rest of the week. Generally, I finish off my work day interacting on social media by liking and commenting on posts. This helps to boost your engagment numbers which helps brands want to work with you.

5:00 pm: As you can tell I usually work for like 7- 8 hours a day on my blog. It’s never just a quick and easy day for me. By this time I plug everything in and put down all of my electronics. I LOVE going to Starbucks to grab some sort of drink to reward myself after a long day.

6:00 pm: I start making whatever I’m having for dinner and begin to unwind for the night. Since it was a Monday night, I watched Bachelor in Paradise from 8-10pm. I really try my hardest to not be on social media during this time and just like sign off for the night by doing my night time routine.

10:00 pm: Any day of the week you will find me in bed at this time. Sleep is like my thing and if I don’t get enough of it I can’t function the next day.

As you can see, I have a pretty busy schedule and most of my days look like this. I’m currently doing a lot of preplanning and scheduling of blog and social media posts so that once my life gets crazy again I am not missing out on any of my obligations. For awhile, a lot of my friends thought that I was just wasting the day away not really doing much but I seriously have something to do every minute of the day as a blogger.

I think a key takeaway to this blog post is that you will get out of your blog what you put into it. If you’re spending as much time a day on your blog posts and website as I am then you probably will be pretty successful. I’ve only been blogging for 3 months and I’ve seriously already surpassed where I thought I would be when I started so for me, I must be doing something right.

Blogging is really rewarding and I am seriously so happy I got into it because getting to share my life and my ideas with all of you is so cool. I hope you got a little glimpse into the life of a blogger and that it’s not the sunshine and rainbows that people always think it might be!

Kissing Toxic People Goodbye

In case you need a reminder, people should be in your life for only one reason and that is to add to your happiness. But, I think for so many of us we have those people in our lives who we love so much but they don’t add to your life, they only take away from it.

For so long, I was allowing people to be a part of my life because of the idea that I “couldn’t live without them”. Here’s a new flash: you don’t need to rely on anyone to live. Without getting into details or naming names, just know that I have seriously lived through so many friendships that I held on to because I believed that the person meant well and that whatever they were doing wasn’t on purpose, but boy was I wrong.

When you’re going through hard times in relationships with anyone, there’s always the person that longs for the nostalgia that is associated with that person and that always is me. I constantly long for how friendships used to be or how people used to make me feel. I would let that constant fear of letting someone go who was once a huge part of my life dictate how I would act and react in situations.

I’d like to think of myself as someone who’s pretty assertive and doesn’t take bullsh*t but like I seriously have a soft spot for people that I genuinely care about at love, which I think we all do. I swear that this constantly leaves me upset and heartbroken because I never can let go, no matter how awful a situation is. Toxic people come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and personalities so not every situation will feel the same but just know that if someone isn’t constantly there for you and helping you better yourself, then they probably aren’t the best people to surround yourself with. They’re the friends that ghost you for months or the boys that try to control you and not allow you to live your life. They’re also the family members that don’t accept who you are or try and manipulate situations.

A huge reason why I know I let toxic people stay in my life longer then they’re welcome is because I have a fear of being alone. Crazy, right? It’s something so stupid but it seriously made me allow so many people to be in my life and treat me horribly. It’s hard to realize that people are toxic when you’re actively being their friend but afterwards you can see all the red flags you should’ve seen beforehand. Toxic people have no place in my life anymore so it’s time you cut them out of yours as well.

I always tell my mom I want this quote on my headstone when I die: “No matter who the toxic person in your life is, you cannot justify how they treat you because you love them”. This is the serious message that I want all of you to take away from this blog post. You deserve better and you are enough. I know it’s seriously so hard to believe that, especially when you are all alone but just know I believe that for you and I am routing for you. I’ve been through this myself and it all gets better. You have to believe me when I say let’s just get rid of the toxic people in our lives so that we can start living our best life in 2019.