Dear You,

Yes, you. You'll be okay one of these days. It doesn't have to be today, tomorrow, or even next week. Take your time to heal and process, and heal some more. Not everything can be fixed in one day and that's okay. If you regress a little bit, that's okay, too! All that matters is that you are moving forward and helping yourself. You are so strong and so independent, even if you do feel a bit weak - it'll be okay. Let yourself feel these things. Shutting everything completely out isn't the solution, but everyone will understand if you need time alone. We're here for you, okay?

You might wish for love but you don't have to rush it.

You should feel comfortable at the pace you're going at, and if not, then do not hesitate to communicate. It'll make things better, even if it is a difficult subject, and you will be heard. A healthy relationship, romantic or otherwise, comes from communication. Reach out to that professor, romantic interest, or friend. Please don't think everything must move so quickly between you two. Good things come to those who wait, and you are so good and so incredibly patient. It is impossible to tell the magnitude of what is in store for you.

Don't break any hearts. You are a beacon of everything lovely, and someday someone will fall for you.

They will give you everything, so don't leave them with nothing. When you think of leaving because you are afraid of getting so close, remember it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes. It is not, however, okay to lay awake wondering if you are enough. You are more than enough. And even if the person with the eyes that make you swoon doesn't fall for you, make sure you are still in love with yourself. Romanticize yourself. Please try to love the way your eyes crinkle when you smile, or how your laugh bubbles out of you uncontrollably.

Fall in love with the way that you exist.

You were made from the same atoms that make up stars. Metal flows in your veins. Your eyes hold galaxies. If anyone ever calls you plain again, just smile knowingly, because even the vast darkness of the night holds nebulas unseen to the eye. You are never plain, or boring, or unwanted. You get to say who you are, and you choose what defines you. If you choose to remain undefined then you will be a cosmic whirlwind of wonder.

You have the rest of your life to love others, but for every moment you live, please try to love yourself.

Your eyes warp your reflection in the mirror when you have tears or hatred in your eyes. You are not the monster you think you are. You are far stronger, and you will realize that your self-worth is not tied to the way you look or dress.

Please just breathe.

Breathe in-time to the sonata that plays in your head. Breathe in-time to the bass line in your favorite song. Do not stop breathing, please. It may seem like your lungs cannot grasp air when a deadline looms over you, but please remember you will be fine. Breathe. Slow down and count to eight as you breathe in. Hold that air inside you for four seconds and relish the feeling of something pressing against your lungs. Breathe out for another eight seconds and realize you are a force far greater than anything society has told you. You control the air inside you, and no one can take that from you. Deadlines cannot force the oxygen out, and you have as much time as you need to breathe.

Reader, you are so special.

You are unique in every way that counts and every way that doesn't. If you feel silenced, know that here, you are heard. You are valued and so, so, so loved.