little bird

what POSITIVE changes have you made so far this year?

I moved the TV back 1.5 meters to the left. Feng shui restored.

I've gotten really comfortable wearing minimal/no makeup in public this year, which is something I haven't done in a really, really long time

actually exactly what juno said. i love make up still and i enjoy doing it, but i've also gotten comfortable going without and often do now. i have just learned to be more comfortable in my skin regardless of things as well. who cares if i have gained weight who cares if my legs aren't shaved literally who cares.

Juno said:

I've gotten really comfortable wearing minimal/no makeup in public this year, which is something I haven't done in a really, really long time

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Sydian said:

actually exactly what juno said. i love make up still and i enjoy doing it, but i've also gotten comfortable going without and often do now. i have just learned to be more comfortable in my skin regardless of things as well. who cares if i have gained weight who cares if my legs aren't shaved literally who cares.

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Omg you guys! That's so inspiring to hear! I'd like to get to that point too, but I'm really not there currently... I'd never dare to show unshaved legs in public, and I feel like I look lacklustre and weak without makeup, not to mention I have some problematic skin still ): baw. Maybe I can take it one step at a time.

one step at a time is how i took it. just slowly removing bits from the make up routine (ie. do i really need to contour today literally i'm gonna go sit outside of starbucks and sweat all afternoon so). which idk how extensive yours is to begin with but i also have a trick like. if you don't feel like putting make up on but still feel a lil poopy about ur appearance, wear something to distract. my prime choice is my glasses. those bad boys make me look great and detract from the lack of make up (which guess what -- people probably aren't paying attention to the lack of make up anyway). but you could also use a hat, necklace, etc.

I never leave my house without makeup on, maybe one day! Anyways, this year I've become more confident in my own skin. It's actually something that people compliment me on, how I can just let loose and be myself without fear of judgement. It's something I take pride in. Sure, I have my moments and like any teenage girl, I have a plethora of insecurities. However, more than ever before, I've been able to express myself more freely.

Furthermore, I've decided to not let the actions of others bother me. I've been upholding a mentality that is calm and collected, perhaps even indifferent at times. This means that I'm significantly more jubilant, as I don't let things bother me as easily and am therefore able to devote my time and energy to being with my loved ones.

I have finally fixed my hair

Forced myself to quit my mentally draining and thankless job, which has probably taken years off of my life. One of the best decisions I've ever made and I've been sooo happy tbh. For now I can relax, and soon start looking for positions that actually focus on what I'm interested/graduated in.

I tried to learn makeup.. yes its positive for me djdkkf idk I wanna learn how to. Blend in with the cute girls. Results of learning, well I failed. But I'll try again when I'm not too ashamed to ask other people for opinions lmao

I also have not used my main procrastination device at work and did productive things. Am I tired? Yes. Is it a good kind of tired? Yes.

I started walking to work to get some exercise. It's been great. Not only do I look forward to it every day, but I save a lot of money on public transportation, and I am getting some much needed sun vitamins. I work in a basement so it's not the best place to be getting sunlight.

adventure said:

Omg you guys! That's so inspiring to hear! I'd like to get to that point too, but I'm really not there currently... I'd never dare to show unshaved legs in public, and I feel like I look lacklustre and weak without makeup, not to mention I have some problematic skin still ): baw. Maybe I can take it one step at a time.

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This might make it less inspiring than Syd but for me it's partially self-confidence and a different mentality but im ngl, it's also partially vanity - I got really into skincare and k-beauty this year and after a while I'm just like "hey wait my skin actually looks better without foundation, I don't need this". So there's still a focus on appearance but in focusing on the skin under the makeup, that in turn made me literally more confident in my own skin.

But like Syd, I still really enjoy makeup and I have a lot of fun with it, it's just not the same mentality I had when I was younger of "I need to wear this to leave the house" because I was more insecure, but I liken it more to wearing a nice outfit nowadays - it's something that enhances me but isn't me. And I lost sight of that for a long time, like I had been wearing eyeliner daily since I was 13 and I pretty much convinced myself it was a part of my face lol, I didn't feel like me if I didn't wear it. It is really silly looking back now but I used to do my makeup even if I'm just going to be home because I didn't like looking in the mirror and seeing the me without makeup on. So it's been very liberating knowing how far I've come with that. Not to mention all the makeup and money I am saving now, haha.

I still feel prettier with makeup, but I am not going to let that make me feel bad about myself when I'm not wearing makeup.

I've apparently gotten better at getting along with people. Long way to go there though.
I've made much more progress though in regards to dealing with both the physical and mental ramifications of my illness.

I became more open about my health, physically and mentally, where as previously I would keep everything completely to myself and pretend nothing was wrong.

I can honestly say I have made a number of really big steps forward over the last ~10 months (so a good chunk of the time working on it was this year).

I learned to talk to people. It's a bit hard to explain, but I used to be somewhat socially awkward, more observing than taking part in conversations unless with people I've known for a long time. When I had to apply for a minor I'd like to do, my teacher noticed I appeared a lot more relaxed and self-assured and was able to have a smoother conversation (as in, requiring less time to think before I had my reply formulated in my head) than the last time we talked, which was only five months prior.
Related, I also noticed I'm getting the hang of being more assertive, speaking in public, opening up to people, getting comfortable in new situations or around new people and improvising.

"Talking to people" (and the other mentioned skills mostly as well) is a skill that's somehow assumed everyone has mastered by the time they have finished high school, even though it's not taught in school like at all. I'm very proud of myself that I've finally (slowly) started mastering these skills, even if only at an age of 22.