Holly Riordan

You get uncomfortable when he buys you gifts or surprises you with romantic gestures. You feel like you haven’t earned it. You feel like you’re never going to pay him back. You feel like he’s going to regret it once he realizes that you aren’t actually the girl of his dreams. 

You need to learn that you are valuable, that you are a catch, that you are worthy of love.  

He shouldn’t leave as soon as things get tough. He shouldn’t get scared off by imperfect moments.

Your feelings aren’t always meant to be acted upon. If you miss someone, that doesn’t mean you should text them. It doesn’t mean you should give them another chance.

I would rather feel deeply than pretend I don’t feel anything at all. 

They expect more from you than they’re willing to give to you.

You can miss them and be glad they’re gone at the same time.

You’re not destined to fail, destined to disappoint, destined to feel this miserable forever.

You’re the fun friend. You’re the one who makes everyone laugh. You’re the one who lightens the mood. You’re the one who makes everyone around you feel better when they’re going through something, not the one who brings up their own problems.

You can stop holding yourself back, stop playing by an imaginary set of dating rules, and ask for clarification when it’s needed. 

You should be there to support me, not to lecture me, not to make me feel even worse about the situation, not to make me feel like it was a mistake trying to talk to you in the first place.

Instead of reflecting on the things they’ve done and putting in the effort to change their bad behaviors, they are going to place the blame elsewhere.

You need to stop bottling up your feelings because keeping the peace right now will hurt you in the long-run.

When you’re scared about your future, remind yourself the only thing you can really control is your present. You can make good choices today to increase your chances of succeeding tomorrow.

It can take you a long time to open up to people, so you’re worried you seem boring at first. 

You shouldn’t walk away when things get hard. You shouldn’t assume failure is imminent. You shouldn’t get distracted by worst case scenarios.

Allowing them back into your world could unravel months, maybe even years, of progress. It could bring you right back to the same mindset you were in when you last associated with them. It could cause the world you’ve built without them to fall apart. 

You need to push yourself to complete your goals, even when you’re tired, even when you’re grumpy, even when it’s the last thing you feel like doing that day.