LIBRAERIE MAG: issue three

letters Dear Friend, In the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of self-evaluation. There’s a lot I don’t like about my life, so I’ve decided to change, as I see it as a waste of time to sit around loathing my lense to the world. I’m on a journey to reclaim the happiness I lost in the wake of a wave of trauma and love being myself again.

As I do so, I hope that I can write to you a bit about my miniature epiphanies and share any advice that I’ve discovered and put into use for myself. I do have a few in this letter, actually!

The first, and perhaps the most useful one for you, friend, is to stop worrying so much about what you think of yourself. Everyone is yapping about how you need to stop caring what others think and love yourself, but nobody talks about how trying to love yourself leads to stress about how you think of yourself, which just makes being you so much harder. Instead of loving you, which requires you to separate yourself from... yourself, why don’t you just enjoy being yourself? You don’t get to be anyone else, of course, and there are so many lovely things about you, I’d certainly love to be you if I wasn’t me.

To love being you, of course, you have to love things you do, things that alter your experience and differentiate it from others. One of the best ways to do this is indulgence. Indulging in your interests, tastes, wants, and passions creates your world. What each of these subjects means is entirely different from person to person, dear, but it is so important to wield each wisely to craft your life the way you want it. You are more in control of your experiences than you might imagine.

If you feel like you are not, I’d advise taking some time away from technology and spend time getting to know yourself. I know that this is annoying and repetitive, but it’s coming from a well-intentioned heart. It’s easy to get lost scrolling through social media, lose track of time, and let go of the reins you have on life. It’s even easier to lose your own opinions to what everyone else says you should feel. Set aside time each evening and park your phone somewhere. Play music and dance, create art, write about your feelings and