The Day I Learned to Stay

For a long time, I treated myself like someone temporary.

Someone I could abandon when things got hard.

I chased approval, borrowed validation, and measured my worth by how well I was loved by others.

When love left, I blamed myself.

When I failed, I became my own harshest judge.

I spoke to myself in a language I would never use on someone I cared about.

One day, I grew tired—not of life, but of running from myself.

I sat with my reflection and noticed the tired eyes, the quiet strength in them, the stories they held. I realized I had survived things I once thought would break me. Not perfectly. Not gracefully. But honestly.

So I made a small promise: *I would stay.*

I stayed when I made mistakes.

I stayed when I felt unlovable.

I stayed when healing felt slow and lonely.

I began to listen to myself instead of silencing my needs. I rested without guilt. I forgave without keeping score. I learned that self-love wasn’t loud or glamorous—it was patient. It was choosing kindness when criticism felt easier.

Slowly, I stopped asking, *“Am I enough?”*

And started saying, *“I am here.”*

And that changed everything.

Loving myself didn’t mean I no longer needed others. It meant I no longer disappeared for them. I learned that the truest love is not the one that rescues you—but the one that teaches you how to hold yourself with care.

Now, when the world is unkind, I am gentle with myself.

When I fall short, I reach inward instead of away.

This is my love story.

Not dramatic. Not perfect.

But steady.

I learned to stay. 💛