Dear Younger Me,

I know you think being everything for everyone makes you strong. You say yes when you’re exhausted, you hold others up even when you’re barely standing, and you convince yourself that putting yourself last is the right thing to do. You believe that love is earned through sacrifice, that being “good enough” means being available at all times. But one day, you’ll wake up and realize something heartbreaking you’ve given so much of yourself away that there’s nothing left for you.

I wish I could save you from that moment. I wish I could shake you and tell you to stop before you reach the point of exhaustion, before you lose yourself in the process of trying to be everything to everyone. No one is coming to tell you to slow down. No one is going to give you permission to rest. That has to come from you. And if you don’t start choosing yourself now, you’ll spend years wondering why you feel so empty.

So please, listen to me. Say no when you need to. Protect your time. Walk away from things that drain you. You don’t have to justify why you need rest, why you need space, why you need you. Self-care isn’t a luxury it’s survival. And the more you take care of yourself, the more you’ll realize that love, real love, doesn’t require you to abandon yourself.

One day, you’ll look back and wish you had chosen yourself sooner. So start now. You are just as worthy of love, time, and energy as anyone else. You don’t have to prove your worth by breaking yourself. You were enough all along.

With love,

Your Older, Wiser Self