Do Your Best + Have Fun!

Firstly, I want to thank you for taking the time to read something that I wrote. It means more to me than you probably know!

I hope that putting my thoughts in this digital world will enable me to be a source of encouragement, entertainment, and a mental health advocate. (this is a disclaimer: I will not be responsible for any advice from me you choose to take. Honestly, I will probably tell you what NOT to do based on personal L's I've taken).

As mentioned in the introduction, this blog started as a simple assignment for my PR writing class last semester. Once the semester from hell was over, I closed my laptop for the duration of my two-month break.

That was my worst semester yet, and I've been in college now for almost five years. I got D's in two of my classes (not my major courses, you know, it was the ones that don't have to do with your major at all). Even so, my self-esteem had plummeted.

Living with anxiety means that if I'm not feeling productive, I beat myself up. I need a schedule, and I need to feel like I'm always busy or else I'm angsty.

I felt like I had no excuse to have bad grades since I wasn't working for the first time in seven years. And the lovely seasonal depression that comes along with the winter months in New Jersey hasn't been helpful either!!

I was feeling so lost, lonely, and unmotivated for months. I stopped responding to friends' messages, deleted social media, and completely isolated myself. I was self-sabotaging, + it was getting worse every day.

On one particularly challenging day, I Facetimed a friend from school when I was crying my eyes out. I don't even remember what I was complaining about, but he laughed and said, "I love it when your Jersey girl comes out!"

As he listened to me rant and made me feel better, he told me that he felt like I needed an outlet to express myself + that I should also get a hobby to help me feel productive. Making a blog seemed like the best way to do both of those things at once! After all... I was a Tumblr girl back in the day.

I've never actually shared my writing before, so this is a bit nerve-wracking, to be honest. If you're like me, you criticize yourself for not being perfect.

*Picture me sitting here writing this for the 100th time because that's exactly what I've been doing!*

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One of the (many) mantras that I live by is, "do your best and have fun." I genuinely believe that if we all took more time to love ourselves, give ourselves more grace, + do more of what makes us happy, we would all become better humans for ourselves + each other.

I have to remind myself that I am always doing my best to be the most empathetic human I can, + I know that I put my heart and soul into every task I have.

Sometimes doing our best is super exhausting, though!

After we do our best, we deserve to treat ourselves. That part is essential in building up your confidence + feeling better about what you've accomplished. This could be something as simple as finishing an assignment for school + going to get a *~large~* french fry from McDonald's.

What you may even think is a small thing you did for the day, like organizing your desk or putting your dirty clothes in the hamper - you did it! Celebrate the small victories when things are tough; I promise it will help you feel better.

I don't have all the answers + as a girl who has been curious about the world + how it works her whole life; I wish I did! This blog is a self-discovery journey, and anyone that reads this is along for the ride. Fair warning, though, it will probably be SUPER bumpy.

Freehearted Flower Child is a safe place that I have created for myself + for everyone who reads my blog. While I may express personal opinions, I'm asking that you respect that + if something that I wrote raises a question, please do not hesitate to reach out!

My mom always calls me her "little flower child," and my boyfriend always says that I would be content with being a flower basking in the sun all day. They are the inspiration behind the name, and both are significant people in my life. I felt it only fitted to create a blog name that was fun but also meaningful to me.

As I mentioned before, please reach out if you have any questions, or even if you simply need someone to talk to. You can send me messages through the chat feature after making a Wix profile. I would love to get to know you + see what I can do to be a source of light if you need one.

Yours Truly,

Alex