Dear Guarded Hearts,

First thing's first, you are not “unlovable”, you are worthy of love always. Trust me, I know the walls you’ve built are sky high, and behind these walls, you feel that you are safe; safe from deception, hurt, and vulnerability. I understand that you are in a place where you think that love just isn’t for you. However, I can assure the opposite ,this life that you are living is yours and yours only. The only person who can deem which experiences you are worthy of is you, not others in your past, present, or future. Regardless of any past experiences you may have had, one thing will never change and that is your self-worth. Know that no matter what anyone else says or does you are endlessly valuable.

I know it's extremely difficult to take down these walls you’ve spent so long building, I’ll be honest it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long process and it is one that you will grow tremendously from. The key is taking your time and being patient with yourself. At the end of the day, this is your journey and yours only. Therefore, before loving anyone else, loving yourself is absolutely necessary. If you give yourself the love that you deserve and you truly value yourself, you will know who is and isn’t worthy of your love.

Sometimes there are people in our lives who make love seem painful and undesirable. However, you have the power to redefine love and what it means to you. Love does not make you a weaker person in any sense, being able to articulate yourself emotionally and actually be vulnerable are among the most important skills you can learn.

I can’t promise you that love is perfect, there are always going to be rough patches and setbacks. These are the things that make love so unique, however, I promise you that it is all worth it. Because with every setback comes growth not only individually but with whom you share your love. By denying yourself this love that you so clearly deserve, you are depriving yourself of the absolute best part of the human experience. You deserve to feel love and you deserve to give love to those who are deserving of it.

Opening your heart up to love is going to be hard and it is going to take time. Nothing in life worth cherishing comes easy. However the more you work at opening up your heart and being vulnerable, you become emotionally stronger. Once you are ready and allow love to back into your heart, you experience love in a way that makes you question why fear was there in the first place. Just remember you are not “unlovable”, and you are worthy of love always.

You’ll make it through I promise.