Category: Voiceless Rant: The Series

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

We are unofficially halfway through the month; is everyone having a good May so far? Personally, I always liked May as a month; it wasn’t too hot, too cold, and most of the trees have their green leaves on and days just feel so much nicer in May. It’s the lead up to Summer June, and who doesn’t like a little warm weather after a long, cold Winter?

Anyway, a new month means a new installment of:

I’ve had a couple of rough patches since the month started, to be quite honest. Resuming my therapy sessions after a little break in April and juggling my personal life and all of that has had me feeling a little bit more on the anxious side lately. As hard as I’m going keeping up the schedule for this blog, prepping for my journal publication, all while being present in all of my relationships in life is getting a bit difficult, and at times I’ve found myself in a daze, not paying attention to anything or anyone around me, which isn’t a great feeling, since that’s what happened when I began to feel disconnected from the world last year. 

Although I’m mentally in a better place, this time around, it doesn’t mean I don’t have work to do. And this is what May’s Voiceless Rant is going to be about.

The process of self-discovery and being the best versions of ourselves simply doesn’t end after you have a good head on your shoulders, for the most part. We are always going to be working on ourselves simply due to the fact that we mature, grow up, and experience issues and obstacles that we are going to come face-to-face with. I may be generally okay with things at the moment, it doesn’t mean I’m proficient with handling the weaker parts of my being. I still cry when I’m overwhelmed, I still take things personally from time-to-time, I still don’t have a strong foundation of confidence with my abilities, and my anxiety tends to make issues about me still – and on top that, practicing assertiveness. There are so many areas in my life that I have plenty of work to do, and I’m okay knowing that someday, I will have all of that figured out.

As long as I’m keeping a positive outlook on the present, the future, and even about the past!

I’m learning that no matter what is happening in life currently, I still am able to keep a pretty positive outlook about myself, and on life. I’m nowhere where I wanted to be, but it doesn’t stop my process of eventually getting there. Obstacles and “bumps on the road” are going to occur whether you are ready for them as not, but the strongest and most courageous thing to do is to always remain positive about things, even through the tough times. 

Through the people around me and my own journey through healing, I am learning that progress starts with a positive mind; if you’re willing to still see some beauty in the things that may drag you or put you down, the negative energy behind those things won’t affect you as much as if you dwelled and stored up that energy in you.

So, whatever hardships you are going through in life, know that there’s always light at the end of each tunnel. Know that what you are going through and the way it’s affecting you is making you stronger, wiser, and braver. It’s also teaching you life lessons that just naturally occur in life.

We all grow up, we all experience the ups and downs life throws at us – and in all honesty, having that positive outlook is what’s gonna get you through them.

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

I know today is Saturday, and that usually a “Self-Appreciation Saturday” would be posted today. Today’s a bit different! I’ve realized I’ve scheduled way too many Tuesday posts for the month and forgot about this month’s installment of:

Oopsie. 

Anyway, I wanted to discuss something that I’ve thought about a lot since being in my mid-twenties. Although still being young, I feel like the fact that I’m considered an adult is still very scary to me, and sometimes, I find myself wanting to redo my teenage years again. Of course, I’d do them in a way I don’t live such a fucked up, traumatized life like I did, but I still (and always will) believe I am who I am at 25 because of the shit that happened when I was a teenager.

Still, I miss the non-pressure I had when I was a teenager. Adult life at 25 is way too stressful and pressure-inducing and if you’re not out here making money with a job and all of that, then you’re technically just a “waste of space”. As a teenager, all you had to worry about was doing well in school and being home at the time your parents wanted you home. Even though half of our teenage years were us wishing we had absolute freedom with our lives, I look back and understand (a bit, since I’m not a parent) why things like that were enforced.

Guys, let’s talk about the teenagers of this generation…

Maybe the generation before mine thought this about us when we were teenagers, but this generation of teenagers is just growing up way too fast. From the advanced technology, endless amounts of social media apps and internet exposing too much of the fucked up shit in this world, and just the expectations and “role models” they look up to, it’s not surprising that these teens grow up too fast, and start off way too young, doing the things that they aren’t supposed to do. I mean, we have social media stars getting pregnant at 14 years old now (look up Danielle Cohn for that fuckery), we have girls wearing a full face of makeup at 11 years old, and don’t even get me started on the stories I hear from my partner about the students in the middle school that he teaches. 

I’m not saying my generation were angels at teenagers–because we weren’t– but we had some sort of discipline that many teenagers don’t really have anymore. Young kids start off with cellphones and tablets now instead of playing outside or using their imaginations with toys and arts and crafts, many public schools don’t enforce uniforms as heavenly as they did when I was in public school, and there are just not even opportunities for these kids to be kids anymore because community centers are shutting down and after-school programs aren’t being funded anymore. These teenagers don’t have drive like we did when we were their age, just how older generations say that we don’t have social abilities like they did when they were our age. Something is constantly changing, but being a kid or a teenager should always remain the same, despite how progressive we get.

And it’s just sad, in my opinion. Maybe I’m now considered “old-school” to this new generation of teens, but there’s nothing like being young and enjoying being young, y’know? Like, I would kill to spend my Friday nights at the movies with my friends like I used to when I was a teenager; there was no “I have to work” or “I have to take care of my kids”. I would kill to spontaneously go to the park with my friends and watch them play basketball again. I would honestly kill just to have that time needed to get my shit together before I hit 21. I think many people my age just wish we didn’t wish to be older. I could only imagine how this next generation of 20-something is going to function, and I bet the 30-somethings right now say the same about us 20-somethings right now.

I’m glad I don’t have younger siblings to singlehandedly witness the change with this generation, but if you guys have younger siblings of your own, remind them what it truly means to be young. Don’t make them believe that growing up is considered “freedom” because truly, it doesn’t. We all learn that way too late in our lives, and as an older generation, I hope we are able to teach the younger generation these things.

So, would I do my teenage years over again? Of course, if I didn’t worry about growing up so fast, maybe things would’ve been different. Then again, I wouldn’t have learned from the mistakes I made trying to grow up too fast.

Dear, guys – welcome back to Letters From Liz!

Did this month fly by, or did this month fly by? How did February feel like a whole ass year and March just came and went on its own? Maybe it’s the Daylight Savings. Maybe it’s the seasonal change!

I’m no “warm-weather” kind of girl, but I’m very excited to start seeing some green on these trees and start feeling some heat on my skin. I’m just ready to put away the bulky winter coat and live in my infamous denim jacket and debut my leather jacket that’s been in my closet since I purchased it in the dead middle of winter!

Which brings me to this month’s topic. Hi, welcome to this month’s installment of:

With April being a week away, it’s crazy to think that we survived yet another winter season. Some of us are ecstatic and ready to get out of that seasonal depression the cold weather brings, and some of us are just happy to not wear an excessive amount of clothes just to walk to the bodega to get a snack. With a seasonal change, a lot of things change actually: For many of us, we get sick during the changes, and sometimes we get ourselves in a funk.

The warmer weather for some of us (like myself) means that everyone is going to begin flaunting their bodies in cute clothes and accessories and it’s during these changes in the season where I feel the most insecure about my weight and my body.

As the months get warmer, the less I have to cover up my body, which means my skin will be exposed, and it has to be: I’m not wearing a jacket in the middle of the summer, no-sir-ee. The less clothing I wear, the more exposed and insecure I feel about my body and I’m honestly really tired of letting my insecurities dictate the type of clothing I wear in warmer weather.

Because let’s face it: nobody is going to care if you’re in a pair of high-waisted shorts and a shirt with no sleeves. Nobody is going to be like, “wow, she has fat arms and fat legs”. Nobody is going to care if your stomach pokes out in a skirt or in a dress. People choose not to wear something because they feel insecure wearing it, and this year, I want to change my outlook on that.

I want to wear a dress this summer and not worry if my stomach and rolls are present. I want to wear things that I normally would stay away from despite the fact that I think they are extremely cute. I want to walk down the street as confident as possible and not care if I jiggle, if I shake, or if my cellulite is showing. And I’m learning that it takes more than just a couple of cute outfits to make you love the skin you’re in.

It takes a long time hating yourself in your own skin to finally tell yourself, “this is the only skin I’m going to be living in for the rest of my life, so why then do so much damage to it and hate it?”

And I guess that’s the work that we need to be working on this year: love the skin that we are in so that we are able to go out in public and not feel so restricted anymore with ourselves.

The warmer weather is honestly the perfect time to start this self-love project because you’re sort of have to expose yourself in order to keep cool. You can’t hide your arms in a jacket all year long, and you can’t hide your legs all year long (I mean, you can – but who wants to wear pants in the warm weather anyway?). What I’m simply saying is that use this seasonal change to your advantage and find the things that you could love about your skin! I know for me, I have to learn how not to care how I may look like in a dress and not think too much about how I may look like in a dress to everyone else. I also have to learn that nobody really cares about how you look, and if they do, you shouldn’t care about what they think. Fat folks are human as well: we wear dresses and shorts and tank tops and swimsuits, so it shouldn’t be considered “weird” or “awkward” – it’s considered normal. I, as well as everyone else who feels the same way, need to learn that the societal bullshit we were taught as kids and teenagers is just what it is: societal bullshit. 

So enjoy the Spring weather coming your way! Get excited about the summer! Get ready to love yourself in whatever makes you feel good about yourself! Get ready to flaunt your newfound love for your skin.

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH!

This month is flying by, and it’s only the 12th. February has always been a month that just came and went without anyone really knowing, and then we’re in March and bam! It’s already Christmas. 

Well, without further ado, we are here with this month’s installment of:

So far in 2019, one of the biggest things I’ve been trying to work on is being unapologetically myself; I’ve even expressed that thought in various Self-Appreciation Saturdays throughout the year. As silly and basic as it may sound, I’m realizing just how tedious that journey is, especially if you’ve been a person who’s been afraid of change or anything outside of your personal “norm” and haven’t explored yourself in such a long time. My own self-discovery is interesting because I feel like I was forced to go through this journey because of my SAD; my anxiety stems from a place of self-judgment, perfectionism, and low self-esteem. Although I am always myself, it’s hard for me to be unapologetically myself, and that includes the moments that contrast with the happy & bubbly side of me. I’m actively learning that the more I embrace the bad moments and bad days that I’m allowed to have as a human being, the more unapologetic and shameless I become regarding my SAD.

So with that being said: I’m immensely proud to see myself where I’m at in comparison to where I was this time last year.

This time last year was extremely rough; I was a grad student wrapping up her studies, I was experiencing extreme amounts of anxiety due to the workload, late nights, and time management for everything else in my life. Mentally, I wasn’t really there, and my health really took a toll on it as I ignored everything and just kept going. I didn’t think that a year later, I’d be where I’m at, and I hope I am able to say the same thing this time next year!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that façades don’t last forever, especially when you’re in the process of growing up and maturing and getting yourself together for adulthood. Façades exist in high-school because you try to fit into groups of people that seem to be “better” than who you are/what you represent. Façades exist in young adulthood because we as a generation were constantly told that we need to “fake it until you make it” after hearing a handful of success stories where they “faked it” to get where they were. Façades exist solely because we are ashamed of revealing our real selves to the world, worried that people will judge us or dislike us for the qualities that make us, us. And when we’re so used to playing our façades so well, we sometimes forget that we are, and we lose so much of ourselves during the process.

Being aware of your façades is something crucial in a time where we are constantly hiding behind computer screens and phone apps. We’re constantly putting on a facade online, filtering life and sharing moments that only really make you look good to the public (which even doing that takes a toll on your ability to share negative/bad things to actual real people in your life). Being aware of the faces we put on just for the sake of being cool, trendy, and being overly-positive is what’s going to allow you to be okay with your humanness. Again, I use the term humanness to define both the good qualities and bad qualities that you may have as a person; a mix of both is what makes you human. When we are aware that we are putting up a façade for the sake of other people around you or to protect you from judgment or embarrassment, that’s truly the first step to living life as your true self. Even more so, you’ll begin to be unapologetically yourself.

As rookie South Korean girl group ITZY said: “I don’t care what they say, I am just who I am.”

Battling our façades when we’re trying to be completely ourselves is hard; you’re getting to know how to be yourself without saying “sorry, this is how I am” and without changing something about yourself just because you feel shameful for being that way. In that process, it’s easy to push yourself in the back burner and let your façade take over for the time being, and it’s even harder when you’re aware of what you’re doing and trying to figure out what to do the next time you’re in a situation like that. When I find myself worrying about what others may say about decisions I make (for example, I just got my septum pierced after thinking about it for the last two months and was too afraid to tell my mother about it because I was afraid she’d disapprove or “judge” my character), or if I’m starting to worry about not being in the greatest mood on a day I have errands to run or a date with my partner, I constantly have to remind myself that these emotions that I’m feeling are normal and that I’m allowed to feel them and express them. I also remind myself that the only way I will become comfortable in my own skin is to be myself in my own skin.

It was only when I started to laugh harder, smile longer and enjoying myself without constant worry, I realized that I was fine just who I am, and for most people, it’s the same thing. It’s those moments when you go to bed at the end of the day feeling good and not anxious about how you came off at a gathering earlier that night that makes it worthwhile to just be yourself. Fuck “fitting in”, “feeling not good enough”, “judgemental towards yourself”; all that nonsense that voice in your head keeps telling you is not true. As much as its easier said than done (and sometimes very annoying) when people say “just be yourself!”, it’s honestly the only (and hardest) thing to do while we’re constantly growing and changing as people.

So, how have the first two months of 2019 been like? In migration. 

-Liz. (:

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH!

First and foremost, I would like to mention that today marks 9 years since I’ve first met my partner, and I find it unfathomable how long it’s been! My partner and I met in high-school; he was a senior and I was a sophomore. It’s crazy to know that we are now both in our mid-20’s, growing and learning new things from each other as the years go by. I’m immensely grateful to have him in my life and for him to inspire and motivate me each and every day. Here’s to another year, love! ❤

Now: onto this month’s very positive and very early edition of:

We are only 9 days into this new month and I’ve learned so much about myself and my progress to self-discovery. I don’t know how it happened, and I don’t know when that switch in me flicked on, but it did, and I can feel a difference in almost everything in life.

It’s like I’m… finally happy again?

I mean, I still have my moments where that negativity creeps into my days and I let it consume all of my positive energy of that day, but most of the days (compared to the ones a couple of months ago) are filled with inspiration and motivation. Personally, I haven’t felt that way in a really long time, and half of that was due to the anxiety I was experiencing. I personally believe that seeking therapy and taking medication is helping me tremendously, and I’m not afraid to share these things and revelations about myself to the world.

Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to discuss my MA Thesis experience to my class of grad students that I TA with my former thesis advisor. I got to share an excerpt of my thesis with the slides I used for my graduate conference back before I graduated, and I got the chance to get real with them on my experience regarding my writing process and my grad school experience. At first, I was a bit nervous; public speaking really isn’t my thing and I stutter way too much when I’m nervous, but I got through it in the best way possible without letting my anxiety take over the entire night I had left. Afterward, I was able to have like a “Q&A” type of dialogue with these students, answering all the questions that I remember myself having when I was in their position. I’m immensely grateful that I was able to do what I did that night because it gave students an insight on a program that they aren’t familiar with, yet are able to move forward with their studies with at least this discussion in mind.

I ended my discussion on a more serious note because let’s face it: that’s just the type of person I am. I shared something that I regret not doing/lacked doing during my experience as a grad student: I told them I regret not being more assertive with myself and not prioritizing my needs as a person. I told them that there are going to be people in your life who are not going to understand the type of commitment and sacrifices you make in order to proceed in this program and to meet the expectations that this program requires of you. I’ve admitted I lost myself along the way while getting this degree. I lost a lot of people because they just didn’t understand what I was going through. I admitted it took a while for me to find myself again and what actually drove me through this dark time. It was my thesis and the desire of wanting to be heard.

For the sake of remaining somewhat professional because I mean I cursed like a goddamn sailor when I get nervous and passionate and shit, I didn’t share my story about my anxiety disorder. In a sense, I didn’t want tonight to be about that; I didn’t want my anxiety disorder or the development of my anxiety disorder to honestly scare anyone who was still new to the program, but I made it known that it was extremely important to take care of yourself through this time in your life because there are going to be times where you feel out of control. I know I did.

In other news, my former thesis advisor gave me some insight on a course that she is teaching this upcoming Spring semester that normally I would shy away from. This undergrad course is a lot different: it’s a first-year writing course with students that are on academic probation. These students aren’t like the average college student; their struggles of maintaining their GPA stem from so many factors, and in most cases: they are reasons that are uncontrollable and undeniably sad. These group of students is typically minorities that, to say it bluntly: been through some shit. I was warned that this class was going to be a challenging one: these students are most likely are not going to want to be there, they’ll have a hard time paying attention, and being assertive as an instructor to keep them on track is going to sometimes happen. She asked me if it still appealed to me, and I said yeah. Something in me wanted to challenge myself in a way that I never really saw myself doing. It honestly wasn’t until after that class that I realized just how much I’m challenging my anxiety in order for me to take back control of my own body.

Yes, there are still times when anxiety gets the best of me and I have to stop what I’m doing to relax and calm myself down, but I’ve accepted the fact that it’s bound to happen and that I should be okay if it does. Because I come out of it feeling fine anyways. I can calm down and then get back on track with my day. This is me managing it in the best way possible, and one way I found best to manage it is to challenge yourself. Of course, when you’re up for it and confident enough to go for something challenging.

So yeah. I’ve learned a lot about myself, my anxiety, and most importantly where my passion lies. I’m far from being where I want to be, but I’m happy to be in the place that I am; one that I didn’t see myself being in this time 4 months ago.

Challenge yourself. Learn more about yourself. Watch yourself blossom.

-Liz. (:

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH!

After taking a mini hiatus away from TNTH after the Blogust series, we are finally getting back on our usual schedule! So, why not begin our scheduling with one of my favorite posts to publish every month:

Last September, I published a post in regards of September being Suicide Prevention Month. With every “awareness month” subject that is known, it seems as if many of us only speak about these serious topics when the time is appropriate, and when others are discussing it as well. Mental health is one of those conversations that I would like to think we are proudly talking about consistently, but I do see the shift in convo every once and a while when things “quiet down”, especially in the media.

Almost two weeks ago, rapper Mac Miller was found dead inside of his California home by a friend, to what TMZ reported was from an apparent overdose. This is the narrative we’ve been hearing a lot of recently within the last decade: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, Lil Peep, and was almost Demi Lovato’s fate as well. Addiction seems to be on high alert nowadays, and in the media, it seems to be the leading cause of a lot of these high-profile deaths. While some of these apparent overdoses may not have been influenced by the thought of suicide, overdosing to the point of death can be classified under the same umbrella as those who commit suicide in other methods.

These deaths caused by overdoses are an example of just how important it is to prioritize mental health and how we could prevent more suicides from happening. This conversation doesn’t end with Mac Miller’s death, and it doesn’t start back up when the next celebrity is found dead or hospitalized due to an apparent overdose or apparent suicide.

The conversation starts by educating those about suicide and breaking society’s myths on it:

• Myth #1: “SUICIDE IS SELFISH.” We must stop putting blame on those who decide to take their own life without considering the people who they leave behind. It’s not that they don’t care about the ones they love, it’s the fact that they personally believe that their lives would be better without them in it or that they feel so misunderstood by those around them, they truly feel alone. I know during my dark times of depression that there were people who loved me and cared for my well being. Yet I still felt alone. I still felt like a burden to those around me, and I felt like life would be better off without me. Of course, I didn’t want to hurt those who cared about me, and I’m still here because of my loved ones. But not everyone’s lucky, and not everyone has that mentality. People who commit suicide are not selfish, because suicidal people live their lives without any sort of control or grasp of it.
• Myth #2: “Most people who have their mind made up to commit suicide do it at times when they are sad.” Many people assume that they can detect a suicidal person just by how “depressed” and “sad” they are at that immediate moment. Way back when I was an undergrad studying psychopathology as a minor, I remember my professor telling us that a lot of people contemplating suicide are not doing it when they are sad or depressed because of the amount of energy needed in order to go through with it. Suicides (as sad as it is) are more than likely strictly planned; they are rarely just random bursts of action. In the twist of things, many people who survive their attempted suicides report that before doing so, they felt energized enough to go through with it. So in summary, it’s very hard for people to detect a person in which they are planning to end their lives. They may have such a great day the night before they do it; you never can anticipate when a person is suicidal and when they are going to attempt suicide.
• Myth #3: Committing suicide is always caused by someone else and their actions towards that suicidal person. As much as I enjoy the overall novel of Jay Asher’s “Thirteen Reasons Why”, it depicts this picture that suicide is always because someone caused them to do that to themselves. No, you can’t hold others responsible for your own poor mental health. Yeah, bullying and teasing and blackmailing could be the cause of your poor mental health (mine definitely was), but you are responsible for your own personal actions. A novel like “Thirteen Reasons Why” where the topic of suicide is “artistic” and fictionalized to fit within its genre, it shouldn’t read to those as the right way to handle suicide and mental health. It does not make you powerful and remembered to leave a bunch of tapes for your “haterz” and blame them for causing your suicide attempt. So for those who read the novel or watched the series and think that this is the only way to “get back” at those who got you to this point, there are so many other ways to get yourself better, and that starts with talking to someone about the issues at hand.
• Myth #4: “Only weak people commit suicide.” People who feel like there’s no way out of their personal torment commit suicide. People who feel like their lives aren’t worthy of living anymore commit suicide. Even the strongest people in your life could be suicidal. Suicide wears the most invisible mask sometimes, and as previously stated, you never know what could happen next. When I was having suicidal thoughts back in high-school, I looked happy. I laughed. I was able to pass all my classes and keep a great average every trimester. I was singing in the most tedious choir. I had college coming up for me. I looked as put together as one sees it. But nobody ever knew when the days turned into nights, I was swimming in my depression. I cried on my bathroom floor during all hours of the night. My actions lead me into dangerous territories. I self-harmed. My point being: it could happen to anyone.

I may be missing a lot more other myths that people believe about suicide, but these are the ones that honestly bother me, and that I personally wish people would understand. As stated in last year’s post, I am a huge mental health advocate and I take the conversation of suicide extremely seriously because I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum: I’ve been the suicidal person and I’ve been the loved one who has watched someone be the suicidal person.

For something to be the second highest cause of death between the ages of 10 and 34 in the United States, we need to be taking it more seriously.

Let’s talk more than its designated prevention month.

-Liz. (:

Hey, guys – welcome back to TNTH.

I wasn’t on planning to come back on here anytime soon due to a lot of things that are currently happening in my life. It’s been a lot for me to handle but I realize that TNTH is just more than a platform of “views” and “followers”. It’s my place where I can write, and I’ve missed it. Plus, it’s only right to come back with this month’s installment of:

I started this series in July 2017; exactly a year ago. It started off being a post about how I described myself as being a “voiceless person”, meaning, I don’t speak out or speak up enough. At the time of the first installment, I never thought twice about continuing this series and to make it into something like this. Yeah, TNTH is just my blog, but the “Voiceless Rant” series is about me and about me being a writer.

Sometimes I forget that I’m a writer and I write to help others. 

This series has evolved into a monthly post where I come in talking about something that I’m currently going through and write about it in hopes of reaching out to someone who is too. Maybe there is a reader who doesn’t know where to turn to discuss their mental health. Maybe there is a reader who’s been traumatized by their family to the point of no return. Maybe there is a reader with insecurities, doubts, and judgment holding onto them by a leash. There are so many different people out in the world that you don’t know (and I don’t know) that is looking at you and seeing inspiration and motivation. You never know who is watching your content, reading your content, or viewing your content while holding back tears of sadness, waiting to end their life.

This post sounds like it’s not going anywhere, but hear me out. I was suicidal around the time I got into the TV show, The Killing. As dark and moody that show was, I will forever say that The Killing and its online community saved my life. I was suicidal all throughout my last year of high-school. Kelly Clarkson’s My December was all that I listened to because I related to every single song on that album. It is still considered one of my favorite albums of all time, and it will always hold a special place in my heart because that album saved my life. My point being is that creators and artists don’t know these things about their fans. Veena Sud does not know her television show saved my life one night when I was up at 5 in the morning wanting to not exist anymore. Kelly Clarkson does not know that an album that almost got completely scrapped because of it not being the “image” her record label wanted her to have saved my life when I was at my loneliest in life. Creators don’t know these things, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have the potential power and influence to save someone’s life. I see it all the time in the comments of my favorite YouTubers; that their content makes them smile and happy in the gist of sadness and depression.

Let’s be real here: I’m no famous influencer with 100,000 followers, let alone 100. I am only one person. I have an immensely small community here on TNTH that is just as enough for me because, again, I don’t know who is reading certain posts in their time of need. Maybe I am, and maybe I’m not, and the majority of these posts are types of posts I wish I was reading in my time of need years ago. Shoot, I’m writing them now because I need them just as much as the next person. My point being is that I always knew that I was supposed to write to help others find their voices. I started to write to begin to speak in a language where people would listen to me. I write to express myself, heal myself, and speak up for myself with hopes of showing other people that they can do the same thing too.

If you’re a creator of any sorts who feel like they could just stop doing what they love doing, your mind and heart were never into it. Creating content, no matter how big or small takes time, dedication, passion, and devotion. Creating was never about making it big and gaining such a huge following (because the same people who wanted that for themselves are the same people who yearn for their lives back). Make your content because you want to make it. Make your content because you’re passionate about it. Make your content because you feel like you have more to show and tell. Make your content because you want to provide something for viewers in their time of need. Keep doing it.

And this is something that I truly need to start telling myself too. I leave TNTH unattended for weeks, even months on end because of my own personal reasons. I leave because I have to personally work on something. I have to personally get better. There’s nothing wrong with taking breaks here and there, but it doesn’t mean you just give up when things get too hard. There’s no reset button on passion. You either have it, or you don’t.

Your move.

-Liz. (: