ROSHINI AND SUHAYLA'S MESSAGES TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY
A Little Joy and Relatability for you!
ROSHINI’S SUMMER 2022 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello readers! Welcome to our Summer 2022 issue. I know it’s been a hot minute but fear not we’re still here. And thriving. Even though we have no specific theme this time, I still have positivity to spread. This time it will just be more sporadic and less focused. So buckle up because this one’s a doozy. Drink water. Take a hot girl walk. You don’t need to be a girl to do that by the way, everyone can take a hot girl walk. Do your laundry. Pet a squirrel. However if you actually do this and you get attacked by said squirrel, it wasn’t an attack it was just spreading love. Buy some squishmallows. I know impulse control is a thing, but that’s okay you should definitely get the one you’ve been eyeing for a while. This is your official sign to just do it, not sponsored by Nike.
I have some more topics I want to cover due to the fact that I haven’t done these in a while sooo… Happy New Year! Happy Black History Month! Happy Holi! Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Singles Awareness Day! Happy Raksha Bandhan! Happy Pride Month! Happy AAPI Heritage Month! Happy April Fools Day! Happy Birthday (to Lauren, Jamie, and moi because our birthdays were after December)! I definitely missed some important holidays and please don’t pay attention to the order I listed those in because it was definitely not chronological. But those are the ones I remembered off the top of my head so it’s the ones we’re celebrating now. Because why not celebrate especially since another issue is being released.
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, here’s some actual positivity in the form of advice. At the end of the day, the only thing that truly matters is yourself. Of course always take strangers and your loved ones into consideration blah blah, but you should always be your number one priority. Learning to live for yourself instead of for others is one of the biggest changes you can make to your lifestyle. All it requires is a change in mindset. If you find yourself needing cookies at three in the morning, make cookies. Learn how to say no to people even if your only reason is “I don’t feel like it,” because honestly it is a valid reason seeing as we all have moments where we just don’t feel like it. It can be hard to set boundaries sometimes at the worry of offending people, but if people are offended by your boundaries then they don’t deserve your company. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should walk around being rude and then calling it self care. Even though that would be kind of funny… but don’t do that. Find happiness in other people but make sure they’re not your only source of joy. Learn to have fun by yourself as well even though that sounds kind of lame. But it’ll give you a lone wolf vibe which is kind of in right now so you're fine. We only have one life and for all we know, we might not get tomorrow… let's do it tonight. I’m so sorry I quoted Pitbull but I’m also not that sorry because it brought me joy and that’s what this whole message is about. Pitbull. Just kidding, but have a great day and make sure to take care of yourselves!
Also that’s not the end of the message, ha I tricked you. But I just wanted to say to make sure and read all the wonderful works we have for this issue because I guarantee you they are incredible. Also, I wanted to officially welcome Aneesha and Dani as they are joining HHS which is very exciting! They get a special shoutout solely for joining and because they’re amazing writers. If you want a shoutout, you should also join. Or venmo me, that also works. Haha just kidding… Anyways, step two, world domination. Now you can have a great day!
ROSHINI'S NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello readers! Welcome to our November/December issue. For this month we decided to go with a theme that was fitting for both November and December… home. Cue the applause. With both Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and any other holidays one might celebrate falling in this month, it seemed like the perfect time to think about what home meant to us. Home can be anything you want it to be. It could be your actual house, your dorm at college, your best friend, your cat, etc. Whatever makes you feel those warm fluffy feelings of happiness and comfort is a place you can call home. Now is a time for us to celebrate our loved ones and try not to cry about the fact that we have finals. For all you students out there, good luck charlie. Just kidding, please don’t sue Disney. Also I love you Bridget Mendler. Anyways, eat lots of good food, sleep and hydrate, and have fun, in a covid safe way, celebrating with whoever you tolerate and want to be around. Happy Holidays!
ROSHINI'S OCTOBER 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello lovely readers, welcome to the October 2021 issue! Whether you're a human, werewolf, vampire, unicorn, squirrel, or reading from beyond the grave, we welcome you to our Halloween issue. To stay in line with the holiday, our theme for this month is deception/disguise. Ooo spooky I know. Now usually, the message is all “be yourself” and “never change,” which still stands. However, it’s always fun to not be yourself and to dress up as a killer clown or a princess, or a killer clown princess, every once in a while. This message isn’t going to be as deep as it usually is because I’m very excited about Halloween and as the author, I’m given creative freedom. So ha. What I am going to say though, is have fun this month. October is peak fall time so go indulge in an unhealthy load of pumpkin spice and apple cider scented things. We weren’t able to celebrate properly last year which sucked, considering Halloween fell on a Saturday. Of course, we still need to be careful this year because Covid should definitely be taken seriously, but just be safe, mask up, and go get yourself enough candy to send you into a five year long, sugar induced coma. Halloween is the one night a year where it’s socially acceptable to act insane so I say just go crazy. Be safe, but go crazy. I hope everyone heeds my wonderful advice that is totally safe and have a wonderful month. Adios!
ROSHINI'S SEPTEMBER 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello readers. This month, I welcome you to the month of September where we are celebrating… Literature! By literature, we specifically mean Shakespearean works and non-fiction only because that’s the kind of serious magazine we are. Ha just kidding, now let's discuss why people who are team Jacob need to reevaluate their priorities in life. Actually there’s no need for a discussion, that's all I have to say on the matter. Moving on, let's talk about the importance of reading. I’d never really understood why some people didn’t like to read. They were always like, “it’s just words on a page.” I just think they weren’t reading the right way though. There is so much freedom that comes with reading where you get to use the words to drive your imagination. With the right book, you could get lost for hours within the pages. It’s like your own personal movie in your head, as cheesy as that might sound. There’s a weird stigma around reading where people consider it to be “nerdy” or “uncool.” Also, all those assigned books we had to read in middle school and high school weren’t exactly the crowd favorite at the time. These might be some reasons why people are put off by reading and they might have completely different reasons as well. Personally, I think there are a lot more people who think they don’t like reading, that would probably enjoy it if they didn’t think of it as a chore. Now this isn’t speaking for everyone. There are definitely people out there who just don’t want to and that’s perfectly fine for them, but reading has so many benefits no matter what the genre. I think more people should try it out… and maybe start by reading some articles from Hear Her Speak Magazine. Shameless self promo right there. With that said, I hope everyone has an incredible September and go try and pick up a book. Not a boring one though, something you think is fun even if it's a children’s book. No shame in the book game.
SUHAYLA'S SEPTEMBER 2021 MESSAGE OF DARKNESS
Hello and Welcome to y’all’s September message of darkness! This month is about literature! You know what that means? Well, for me, it means that I reflect on my life and realize that I haven’t read for pleasure since middle school. Now, it’s incredibly difficult for me to even approach a book because I’m out of practice. I’m illiterate 😊. I’m incredibly shtoopid. But that’s okay! Hopefully I’ll get back into the practice of reading at some point! Not now, though. My C++ programming class is killing me.
Literature makes the world go round and can have a great impact on people. For example, Kissing the Coronavirus is a great example of a novel that has a very, very, very terrible impact on people. I don’t want to go outside anymore. Literature can also be somewhat ruined when you learn things about the author. I won’t mention any titles for this one, but I’m sure you can think of some 😊.
It’s alright though, because we can still appreciate these titles for what they are. And if we enjoy reading them, there’s no need to burn them (unless you’re in desperate need of a fire :O). Nevertheless, I truly believe that the best literature comes from authors who actually support basic human rights. Oops too political. And on that note, toodles!
Song recommendations:
“Burn” by Ellie Goulding
“Burnin’ Up” by the Jonas Brothers
ROSHINI'S AUGUST 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello and welcome to the month of August! First I would like to mention that this month is a very special month considering its the one year anniversary of Hear Her Speak Magazine. Cue the confetti and cake and feminism! Now, let us talk about the theme of the month… Reflection. This theme was mainly chosen because we thought it would be good for us to be able to reflect on how we grew as a magazine, but it’s also something we can talk about with you all. I can’t really speak for everyone, but self reflection is something I practice often. It could be because of all the reflections I had to write in high school, but I definitely do it a lot. I do believe self reflection is super important because it helps with self growth and gets you to learn a lot about yourself. It can be intimidating at times to reflect on yourself but it truly can help you become a better version of you. I hope everyone enjoys this issue because a lot of incredible works are there, as always. Bye and have an amazing August!
SUHAYLA'S AUGUST 2021 MESSAGE OF DARKNESS
Hello and welcome to your August message of darkness. Hope you are having an August. After all, having an August is better than not having one at all! It’s been a year since the magazine has started and it’s so hard to believe! How did I get this far? How did I not get kicked out of the staff? It’s funny.
Now this month’s theme is self-growth. That can be a slippery slope for all of us. Sometimes, I don’t feel like I’ve become a better person at all! I cringe at literally everything I do and second-guess myself all the time. It’s so sad.
However, growth is not linear. We can make so much progress, but hit a snag that drops us all the way to the bottom. That’s normal. Everyone is on their own journey! Sometimes trying is all we can do.
This is getting too motivational so I’m ending it here. If you want some inspiration for your own redemption arc I suggest consulting Firelord Zuko. Bye kids!
Song Recommendations:
“When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls
ROSHINI'S JULY 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello lovely readers! How y’all doin today? You can’t really answer me but that’s fine. So this month, we decided to focus on the importance of environmental friendliness; yay! Super important and considering the fact that I’m going into environmental engineering, I should probably say something. Don’t litter. Yes. Alright that’s all for today folks, see ya next issue! Just kidding, ha I totally fooled you. But seriously, don’t litter. For obvious reasons, it’s bad for the environment. And also, all the damage done to the environment by each person adds up and we don’t really even think about it. It might just be that you’re at the beach and oh no! The wrapper to your granola bar (if you eat granola bars at the beach get it together all shade… unless you have a valid reason) fell and you’re too lazy to pick it up. Oh well, it’s just one wrapper right? WRONG. FYI, a lot of people are probably thinking that so in the grand scheme of things, we now have a crap ton of granola bar wrappers floating around.
We don’t really consider the consequences to our actions because in the grand scheme of everything, we’re just one person. However, there are billions of people thinking the same way. Of course there are also many other habits we have that we most likely should change to become more environmentally friendly, but unfortunately that’s not a lifestyle everyone can adapt to. Which is fine of course, but being conscious of our actions and thinking of how they might impact the environment is definitely a step everyone can and should take. The world is dying and soon we won’t be able to change that. Ignorance might be bliss, but that’s something we can’t afford; we are way past that. While this message of sunshine might not be all sunshine and happiness, the topic itself is one that can’t be solved without immediate action. So… get it together. Just kidding, but the sentiment stands (in the nicest way possible). Anyway, have a nice month!
SUHAYLA’S JULY 2021 MESSAGE OF “DARKNESS”
Hello all and welcome to July! This month’s theme is environmental friendliness so you know what that means! People promote healthy habits you all can do as individuals (reduce, reuse, recycle, whatever). Meanwhile, the huge corporations still get away with the fact that they contribute to CO2 emissions the most. Wow <3. Well, on the bright side… I don’t know. Please refer to Roshini’s message of sunshine if you want something bright. If you are environmentally friendly, that’s cool and nice. And for sure you are making a difference, even if it’s a (very) small one. Also, Pride Month is over. So that means that the rainbow capitalist days are gone until next year. Yay? Or Nay? You decide.
Song Recommendation:
“Send it On” by Disney Channel People
ROSHINI'S JUNE 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE!!!
Hello lovely readers, Happy June! Also, Happy Pride Month!!! Extra exclamation points for extra gay because that’s how that works. Sadly though, this message isn’t about pride month. But we do have some other works on that so definitely go check those out. And while you're at it just check out the entire issue. Shameless self promo, but I refuse to be shamed oop. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Money! Yep, this month is all about money. While I would love to make this a message providing tips on money management, I know next to nothing about it. If anyone can tell me how to do the whole taxes thing, I’d greatly appreciate it so I don’t accidentally commit tax fraud at some point in my life.
Now that you’re all reassured that I know a lot about money and can confidently speak on this topic, let's talk about it. Money is obviously super important in this world, but a lot of us don’t have a lot of it. In a society where money also equals status, the sad truth is that money controls most things in the world. While it’s easy as a kid to run through the aisle of a toy store and beg your parents to buy every single thing, as an adult, you definitely come to understand your parents' side. For one, no, you didn’t really need that other hot wheels car that practically looks exactly like the one you already have. Also, you come to better understand why saving money is important and how expensive it truly is to live in this world. I’d love to say that it’s not that bad though and that as long as you're a good person life will work itself out, but you never know when it comes to money. It can be a hard thing to manage and many people struggle with it due to the fact that we’re not really taught how to manage our money. Of course you can hire people to do that for you… but that also costs money.
This is probably not the most positive message of sunshine I’ve ever written, so to make it more sunshine-esque, always remember that you’re not alone. If you ever have anything you need help with in life, with money or any other problems, there will always be someone that you can turn to. Also, while it is important to save money and secure your future, don’t let that stop you from enjoying yourself either and never feel bad about spending money on things that make you happy. Because at the end of the day, what’s the point of all of this if it doesn’t make you happy? Anyways, there’s some food for thought and I hope everyone has an amazing month!
SUHAYLA’S JUNE 2021 MESSAGE OF “DARKNESS” (OR HIDDEN MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE BECAUSE IT’S NOT EMO ENOUGH TO BE A TRUE MESSAGE OF DARKNESS FOR SOME PEOPLE)!!!
Hello saddies, it’s June so you know what that means! Pride month! And a new issue all about MONEY $$$$! It’s perfect because these two topics go hand in hand. Pride month is the perfect month for companies to plaster rainbows all over their social media for clout and better revenue. Do they actually care about the LGBTQ+ community though? Nope 😊. Most of them don’t even donate to charities for the alphabet mafia. Dis cos tan. Whatever. Don’t ever expect there to be humanity in a c(r)apitalistic society. You will just be disappointed ☹.
Now, if you are a member of the rainbow community I hope you still enjoy this month, greedy corporations aside. I want to especially reach out to those of you who aren’t out of the closet or are struggling. Maybe you’re only out to your friends because you feel your parents won’t accept you. Maybe you’re not out to anyone. Maybe you are out, and it’s made people turn on you. You all have my heart and I love you.
I don’t even want to talk about money. I hate money. Money is not the reason we exist. Lana Del Rey is wrong. Bye sister. If you have money problems, I am sorry. I wish I could do surgery on the economy. But hang in there, my children. One day, we will all die and this will be over. (but hopefully the problems get solved before that ig). Okay bye kids but here’s some song recs before I go.
Song recommendations:
“Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child
“Warriors” by Aaliyah Rose (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Theme Song!!)
ROSHINI'S MAY 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello fellow humans and non-humans. Happy May! Here’s a little joke to make May feel a bit more bearable seeing as it’s exam season. Can February March? No, but April May. Ha. Hahahahaha. We love seasonal humor that’s appropriate. Anyway, our theme of the month for May is education! Gross, I know, but also very important. May is an important month seeing as many people have exams going on and seniors in high school are currently finding out about where they’re going to college. Now this can either be a super fun time, or a not so fun sad fest. It can be great because it's the month before summer vacation starts and if you do well on those exams or get into the college you wanted, you’re obviously not gonna be upset about those things. However, when things don’t go the way you wanted them to, that can suck, to put it bluntly. There is such a huge emphasis placed on education and there definitely should be, because education is important. However, it should never be pushed to the point where students’ mental health becomes affected. That’s just not okay. Tis’ not cute. Unacceptable. Distasteful. Subpar. Not up to snuff. Ok I’ll stop now but shout out to thesaurasus.com!
Bottom line is that students shouldn’t have to sacrifice their mental health and sleep to succeed in school. As cliché as it sounds, life is short and there needs to be a balance built between work and having fun. Students should be allowed to enjoy their time as kids and less time wasting away while trying to study for a standardized test that is apparently a super accurate measure of intelligence and skill. With that being said, to anyone who needs to hear this, don’t beat yourself up over any so-called failures you deal with in school. In the long run, they most definitely will not matter so just reflect on the situation and then move on because time is way too precious to be spent crying over a test. You could be crying over many more important things like how A Silent Voice is being taken off Netflix which is very, very, very stupid of them to do. That’s off topic again, but to all those students out there, enjoy your summer because no matter what, you deserve it!
SUHAYLA'S FIRST MESSAGE DARKNESS (MAY 2021)
Hey kiddos! So Roshini is the sunny funny girl in charge of the positivity messages y’all get every month. But what if you’re not feeling very positive? What if you feel called out when Roshini says something like how you deserve happiness unless you killed someone? We’ve all been there before! This message is to let you know that it’s NOT okay to feel poopy sometimes. Everything is supposed to be sunshine and rainbows unfortunately ☹. Since you don’t feel that way, you are to be subjected to a life of darkness. Just kidding.
Messages of darkness are to show solidarity with all y’all lil saddies. Unfortunately they’re not gonna be super emo (it’s not a phase, mom), but that’s only because all the emoness is within ourselves! So the theme of the month is education (barf) and that topic for us can be a sensitive one for many reasons. Maybe we aren’t doing well in school. Maybe we aren’t in the school we want to be in. Maybe we’re doing well in school, but we just want to get out! That’s all fine! Keep hanging in there even if it’s by a thread. Make sure you use duct tape and other reinforcements so the thread doesn’t rip. Just kidding. You have to do well in school or life will SUCK.
Another thing about this month’s issue is that Hear Her Speak Magazine is celebrating Mother’s Day. To any reader who doesn’t have the relationship with their mother that they want, it’s okay. Know that no matter your relationship with her, you deserve to be loved. Thank someone on this day who has shown love to you. It can be anyone! A friend, another family member, a mentor, even yourself! But tbh you might not have anyone else. However, even if you feel like you have no one, you will always have your own clown self LMAO. Okay, bye kiddos!!!!
Emo song recommendations:
Slipping Through My Fingers - ABBA
ROSHINI'S APRIL 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello lovely readers! We have officially entered the month of April and our theme for the month is… drum roll please… beauty! So get ready for a giant paragraph on why you’re the most beautiful person ever. Just kidding, I don’t know what you look like. But the message behind it still stands. Even though I don’t know what you look like and even if you yourself don’t believe it, I am 130.42% sure that you are beautiful. Honestly, it can be hard to love yourself and your appearance. I am very guilty of that as I’m sure many others are. Society really just doesn’t want us to be happy with our appearances. No matter how “perfect” we look, there’s always going to be someone out there with an ugly personality who thinks otherwise. People tend to have one image in their head that they use to define beauty and just run with it. But that’s the thing, there’s no template that can be found to truly define beauty. There’s beauty to be found in everything and everyone. While it can be easy to let the negative comments get you down, you just need to remind yourself that you’re a baddie no matter what you do or look like. Unless you commit a crime or something… because then you’re just bad. Anyway, the moral of the story is no matter what anyone says or thinks, just love yourself and love who you are. Because at the end of the day, the only person whose opinion matters is yours. Also don’t be a criminal. Farewell and see you next month!!!
ROSHINI'S MARCH 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello readers, Happy March! Also, Happy Women’s History Month. If you’re a woman out there reading this, pat yourself on the back and go treat yourself to some wonderful boba. Or any other drink if for some horrifying reason you don’t like boba, but we’re not here to judge. Because it’s March, the month where spring is going to start, we’re going to talk about the birds and the bees. Just kidding. Or maybe I’m not… guess you’ll have to read on and find out. But real talk, our theme of the month is ambition. Everyone has some sort of ambitions in their life. Whether it’s to become rich and famous or to get your dream job, our personal ambition can take shape in many different ways. Achieving these goals, whatever they might be, is an incredible feeling. To know that all your hard work paid off and that you’re where you wanna be in life. Now, what if things don’t work out the way you planned? I don’t think it’s a possibility that is considered often. It hurts to think that after all you’ve done, that it wasn’t enough. No one wants to spend their time contemplating that. However, that’s just how things go sometimes, and I think we need to start understanding that that’s okay. Of course, it’s normal to be upset by what happened. It’s important to process those feelings of hurt in a safe and healthy manner. But obsessing over it isn’t the way to go and it’s only more painful in the long run. The best way to recover from this after processing your feelings, is to get back up and start on plan B. Because no matter what, even if things didn’t go the way you planned the first time, you can find another way to achieve your goals. You can reach out to others for help if you need to as well. We need to stop thinking it's the end of the world if we don’t get our way the first time. Instead, learn from what happened, turn that sadness into motivation, and start again. Life will continue to throw obstacles at us in many different ways that could be small or big. So what you need to do is T-pose life until it sits down and finds another hobby. This has been scientifically proven, don’t look it up. Anyway, if you’ve taken anything away from this, it should be to treat yourself, don’t let life boss you around, and have a wonderful day.
ROSHINI’S FEBRUARY 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE AND LOVE
Hello lovely readers!! Tis’ the season to be lovey dovey, whether it be with your significant other or just with yourself. That’s right, I’m talking about self-love, the most underrated but most important kind of love. Whether or not you want to be in a relationship, it’s truly important to remember to take care of yourself. Being in a romantic relationship is a lot of fun. The dates, the late night calls, all of that can be incredible. However, it’s important to remember never to truly rely on your significant other or anyone for that matter, to always have a good time. Treat yourself! Take yourself out on a date and go eat some incredible food. Have a spa day just to rewind or a photoshoot by yourself. While all of these are fun with others, there’s a different, more unique kind of joy that can be found from learning to have fun by yourself as well. Basically, don’t rely on anyone else for validation or a good time. Because there is no one else down to eat that five course meal you’ve been wanting then yourself.
ROSHINI'S DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello readers; happy holidays! December is a time of many events, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, it’s the season of festivity and happiness. There’s also New Years Eve, but that’s not really relevant until the last 10 seconds of the day. Now with all these holidays, it’s a real privilege to be able to spend this time with family, to celebrate with loved ones and exchange presents. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do that. That’s why it would be great if we could all try, in our own way, to give back to others, to show some generosity. Now this doesn’t have to be money or anything expensive, unless you can afford it and are willing to do so, then by all means go ahead. Any small act of kindness can be enough to make someone’s day. For instance, Covid plus the holidays is not an ideal combination for anyone. It can be hard to stay positive with everything that is happening around us, and it’s okay to feel that way. Everyone is struggling with these circumstances and everyone is valid in the way they feel right now, so just keep in mind to stay kind and just don’t be a horrible person. Help people out if they need it. Don’t lie to little kids and tell them Santa isn’t real because you think it’s funny. Maybe donate old clothes and toys you aren’t using anymore. Simple things really. It can be easy to get caught up in the hot chocolate, holiday music, bright lights, and presents, but we should all take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This is so cheesy and I hate myself for saying this, but all of that isn’t the true spirit of the holidays. So, give back to others and have a wonderful December!!
ROSHINI'S NOVEMBER 2020 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Hello to everyone reading this message! Since it’s November, let’s talk about traditions! November seems to be like a good time to do so because of Thanksgiving. Now, even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, that’s of course, totally okay because it doesn’t really mean the same thing to everyone. Off topic but still worth mentioning. Traditions can mean something different to everyone, whether it be something passed down in your culture for hundreds of generations, or a family activity you’ve started up a few years ago. Regardless of what it is, traditions can be fun. They’re nostalgic and help you connect with typically fond memories of the past. And the fun thing about them, is that they can literally be about anything. You want to buy the same can of soda from the same gas station for years on end at the same time? Bam, tradition. Go see the sunset on the same day for years on end, even though it’s raining? Wow look, a tradition. Again, they can literally be anything and the only thing that matters about them is the timing. Now go out there and make some memories! One idea for a tradition is reading Hear Her Speak Magazine, at the end of every month. Have fun!
ROSHINI'S OCTOBER 2020 MESSAGE OF SUNSHINE
Are you stressed? Do you feel like the walls are caving in on you and you don’t know how to make it stop? Have you tried meditating for like at least a solid two seconds before realizing it wasn’t for you and just went back to being even more stressed? Well fear not, because I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone and that your feelings are completely valid! No matter what it is, whether it be stressing about how you’re going to pass that class when you feel like you know absolutely nothing, or stressing about the potential death of your favorite character in that one show that’s got you hooked, all the emotions you feel towards that event are completely valid. You need to remember that, especially the next time someone thinks it’s okay to invalidate what’s stressing you out simply because they think whatever they’re going through is more important. Spoiler alert, it isn’t! If someone older ever tells you that you don’t really know what stress is simply because “you’re young, you’re in school, what do you have to be stressed about” and “I have to pay taxes and other things, I have an actual job, you know nothing about stress,” don’t listen to them. They went through the same things when they were younger and sometimes, it’s hard for them to remember that. They’re so caught up in missing the good old days, you know, the days they always reminisce about from when you weren’t born (hello darkness my old friend…), that they forget about how even being young is super stressful. Don’t let that make you feel like your worries are any less valid, because they are valid.
And if you ever feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, just take a few deep breaths and step away from the situation. Do something to relax yourself, whether it be dancing in the rain or listening to music while laying face down on the floor, just do something to put your mind at ease. After, approach whatever is causing you distress and try and work through it. If this method doesn’t work because what’s causing you stress is the assignment you procrastinated on and you have -5 minutes to do it now, promise yourself a reward after completing it, give yourself something to look forward to. You’re stressed because something didn’t go your way? It’s okay to be upset about it and to feel those negative emotions, just make sure you don’t let them consume you at the end of it and find a way to make it work. Life is very complicated and very stressful, but at the end of the day, you just have to decide whether you’re going to smell the flowers and walk on by, or stomp on the flower and cry because it’s dead. When you truly put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want and you can reach out to your friends and family for help as well. Never think that you are truly alone in a situation that might feel helpless, there is always someone ready to help if you know where to look :). Now my treat to you, is telling you to go take a break from what’s causing you stress! Maybe you could… read an article… or take a fun quiz… or read a scary story… or check out an amazing playlist... all which are conveniently located on this website!! #spon