Struggle is with us all. Every day, a different story, a different path. So, when you feel you cannot go on, look around you, chances are there are others who feel they cannot go on too.

If they make you feel like your body, your heart, and your soul are not worthy of love, then they are not worthy to be loved by you.

There will come a day when they will no longer be your first thought in the morning or keep you up at night. But while they are, you mustn’t be so hard on yourself or rush to heal the wounds. Our hearts live on with scars that run deep. Scars are never neat, but you don’t have to force them to close if you are not ready.

What is the use in looking happy when inside you are hurting. People may tell you to hide, pretend, and fake it until you make it. But when you are as happy on the outside as much as you are on the inside, then you’ve really made it.

Healing and self-care are not only about the things you surround yourself with but also the people. Find people who are forgiving and patient and fair. Find people who show you kindness and accept you on the days you struggle. Find people who don’t make you feel guilty for focusing on yourself.

So, you slept a handful of hours and managed half a meal; so you walked to your front door, opened it, and closed it again. You slept more hours than the week before, you ate half instead of nothing, and you got up instead of staying. That’s stepping, just keep stepping.

For every long moment a breath catches in the back of your throat, too weary to exhale, know that all your healing exists in the small details. At a party on a Saturday night, in the corner talking to a girl you just met, spilling your soul to a stranger because sometimes it’s easier to talk to a new friend than an old memory you regret. A weekend drive on a long highway with the sun shining, and you’re smiling because sometimes fresh air is better than not finding the words to say all you’ve been feeling and thinking. Turning a song up loud, because it makes you dizzy remembering all the things about yourself. You should be forgiving and not apologizing for living.

You will rise

She will rise

against wind and rain

and she will triumph

despite the pain

She is real and honest with all the things she feels, and this does not make her weak, this makes her stronger than ever.

We all have walls, some higher than others, to fortify our hearts from the recklessness of selfish people. But we must let the light in, to soak deep into our skin, and rise each morning with purpose.