I have always wanted to be a strong girl. I have always wanted to be strong from within, wiring myself to be more hard on the outside. But instead, I was building concrete walls around me, stopping everything that came to me – good and evil.

Little did I realize that being strong is not the ultimate goal. Strength comes with being happy. The real power comes with being content and emotionally stable.

Strength is the capability to withstand all things difficultly, cross streams with harsh currents and solve puzzles that puzzle the mind! Real strength comes with time and healing. True strength comes from understanding how to deal with stress and anxiety and keeping a positive aura.

True strength came when I understood that being hard on myself was not helping. I gained power from within when I realized that I was more than enough for myself. I owe it to myself to be happy and satisfied. I must give myself the feeling of appreciation and stop expecting it from outside.

I realized that external validation is different from what I must seek. I must validate myself and appreciate myself for everything I am. I must show compassion to myself and stop looking out for others to show affection. When I cannot give myself the things I yearn for from others, they feel overwhelmed and suffocated too. I recognized my needs and desires and my craving for attention and empathy. I started showing all these emotions to myself and saw that I was healing from within.

I was healing from the constant need for approval, appreciation, affection, love, and care. I was healing from the hurt I felt when I did not receive what I was looking for. I was healing from the pain my heart felt when I felt lonely. I was healing from constantly pushing myself to be strong when I needed to be more considerate towards myself.

Not just a strong me, but a HAPPY me this new season…

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