Holly Riordan

You might not want to ruin the friendship by hooking up on a whim if you know you’re never going to end up together.

Thinking that you’re behind everyone else and are never going to catch up. Your timeline is going to look different than your friends and parents and peers.

You should make the first move because waiting is the worst part. Wondering whether they feel the same is the worst part. Examining every move they make in person and on their social media is exhausting.

You never congratulate yourself over your wins–but you dwell on your losses. You should be proud of yourself when you accomplish something special. Don’t brush it off like it’s no big deal and move onto the next thing.

You cannot control their thoughts or decisions. It doesn’t matter how long you try to talk sense into them or how valid your points are.

Don’t go too long without taking a break. Don’t burn yourself out. Don’t procrastinate when it comes to slowing down and giving yourself a rest. Remember that you don’t have to earn your breaks. You already deserve them.

Your accomplishments aren’t tied to your worth. Even though you care deeply about your creative work, it has nothing to do with your own personal value.

You never feel appreciated. You do so much for them, but they never say thank you. They never remind you how wonderful it is to have you in their life.

You’re allowed to be heartbroken. You don’t need to date someone to develop strong feelings for them. Knowing that you’re never going to be with this person is going to sting. You’re allowed to cry your eyes out.

You are under no obligation to spend time with relatives who make you uncomfortable.

Getting ghosted sucks because you have no idea what you’ve done wrong. You’re left with lingering questions that are never going to be answered.

You don’t want to waste years of your life chasing after the wrong person. If they don’t see your worth from the start, they probably aren’t worth your energy. You should move on.

When you’re a quiet girl, others are surprised when you speak your mind. They’re shocked to learn that they are unable to take advantage of you. They thought you were nice — and to them, nice means a pushover.

Some people are never going to treat you right. No matter how hard you try to impress certain people, there are humans who are never going to change. They are never going to love you the way you deserve.

It’s hard to put your mental health first. Even if you’re trying to treat yourself with more kindness, even if you’re putting effort into becoming a healthier person, there are going to be obstacles in your way.

“This is my anxious mind speaking.” When you’re anxious, acknowledge it.

Don’t trick yourself into believing you’re unlovable because someone ended a relationship with you. You could dwell on the fact that they walked away, that they decided you weren’t what they needed — but that’s not the whole story.

Even though you want to succeed, even though you have big dreams for yourself, you don’t want to push yourself so hard that you burn out.