Hello, lovely people!

This sub has helped me to reflect on myself more often in regards of my self and I felt that I'd share some important changes i've made towards being more peaceful in my life. Feel free to share you own!

1) Doing what makes ME happy

I never thought it was that serious, honestly. I used to think making myself happy was going to bed early or buying myself a fancy drink after work. I quickly learned that's not what gives you happiness though. What makes me happy is doing things when I want to, not pressuring myself to be productive and measure myself only by what actions I'm performing to provide to my community.

Making yourself happy means putting yourself first and using your time wisely on yourself where you can grow as a person and find yourself in a state where you know your worth and will do what makes YOU feel good.

2) Asking for help

This one...the hardest, as I am still trying to build a strong support system that I feel comfortable within and happy. However, sometimes it's more freeing than we think. I used to think I was weak when asking for help (thanks, patriarchy) and would refuse to tell people what I was going through because I assumed it was unimportant.

Just remember- the people who love you are always willing to help you and make sure that you're okay (not just when you're visibly upset, but just genuinely care about how you're doing)

3) There is so much good in the world

Like many of the strong people on this sub, I have endured more trauma than I ever needed to. It left me untrusting, closed off, and unmotivated to move forward in life. There was a time where I was too scared to leave my house in fear of getting assaulted again, hurt again, broken...again.

That was when I learned that I wanted to help other people, I never wanted anyone to feel what I went through, at least to never feel alone. I began to volunteer, and I noticed there are so many places willing to network with others to make a difference in the world. Those areas are where you can make genuinely great friendships and also know that you are doing something that ultimately helps someone else feel joy.

I know these all sound very random and uncorrelated, but they were the unconventional priorities I never knew I should have made when I discovered FDS. I want to be better, stronger, and gain all the knowledge there is to know. FDS has encouraged me towards that goal, and if not insinuated it in the first place.

Again, i'd love to hear all your thoughts on what changes you made that helped you be better version of yourself!