welcome to chat #2! for this one, my friend aaron who runs @lovelyquoting was kind enough to send over some answers. i love what he’s sharing about his journey, and i’d strongly recommend you give it a read!
tell me a little bit about yourself.
hi! my name is aaron. i’m 19 years old and i just finished my freshman year of college, woo! i’m double majoring in public relations & advertising and spanish with hopes to become a public relations manager for musicians!
what does social media mean to you?
to me, social media is what unites so many people in the world. you can meet other like-minded individuals, you can easily contact and update distant friends and relatives, and you can also express yourself creatively! i think it’s amazing how social media has given us a new type of communication. people can reference things they’ve seen online and it almost becomes a sort of widespread inside joke between thousands of people!
do you see social media as more positive or negative?
this is a difficult question to answer. i think social media becomes whatever you want it to become. when i first signed up on social media, i was constantly exposed to negative outlets--unrealistic beauty standards, demeaning comments, and one-sided narratives. however, with time, i was able to find accounts and profiles that made me feel happy and that reminded me of the power social media has to spread goodness. now, i try to focus on these uplifting aspects of social media rather than let myself and my mentality be damaged by the bad.
what’s the goal of your social media?
the quotes that i post on my social media account act as a sort of diary of everything that i’m feeling. there are moments when i’m super happy and i feel like spreading such joy through as many posts as i can, but there are also times when i’m not feeling the best and i use my posts as a way to find solace and comfort that i’m not alone. and i hope that’s what my posts do for other people. i hope they allow people to see how important they are, and i hope they allow other people to feel understood and heard.
tell me about your happiness journey.
my happiness journey has been kind of rocky, i’m not going to lie. for as long as i can remember, i’ve been happy. and by happy, i mean i was excited to spend time with my friends and go on adventures; thinking about the future made me hopeful. however, this past year i developed anxiety and i’m not proud to say that it took over my life and made me long for the past me. anxiety made me feel scared to leave my house, it made me scared to spend time with my friends and to enjoy the little moments in life which i had previously cherished so much. thinking about the future frightened me; i didn’t know if i would ever be able to be happy again. and the worst part about it all is that i knew i had nothing to be anxious about. i knew i was fine and that nothing had changed and that i was capable of doing all of the things i used to. but there would constantly be this knot in my stomach that would cause my heart to race and my body to sweat. recently, i realized just how badly my mental state had gotten. i realized how instead of trying to fight and overcome my anxiety, i would feed into it and let it take over who i was. i started saying affirmations about myself as often as i could. instead of saying that i wasn’t good enough or that i would never overcome my anxiety, i started telling myself that i am good enough and that i will overcome my anxiety. although simple, this change has honestly improved my life. i believe that if you hear something long enough, you’ll start to believe it. so if you’re constantly telling yourself that you’re unworthy and incapable, you’ll truly believe you are. this is why uplifting blogs are so important. they remind you of your worth and they help you avoid falling into the toxic rabbit hole i was trapped in for so long. there are still moments where i feel anxious, but they aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be. i hope everyone is able to make such a change in their life and start to realize just how worthy and incredible they truly are.
how has your career impacted your mental state?
being in college has taken a toll on my mental state. i can’t deny all of the pleasant memories it has given me, but i also can’t claim that it hasn’t been hard. my schoolwork has made me feel overwhelmed. it has made me prioritize studying, doing homework, and getting quantifiable success, but at what cost? i can’t even begin to imagine the number of times i’ve passed on hanging out with my friends or spending time on myself just so i could focus on my school work. education is something that’s so important to me and i truly feel blessed and privileged to receive the education that i do. however, i think there’s a fine line between socializing, self-care and work that i need to find. it feels as though i either study too much and miss out on important memories or i either work too little and miss out on the education i should be grateful for. i hope that one day i am truly able to find a balance between the two and not let college have such a mental hold over me.
what do you do that brings you joy?
being in quarantine has allowed me to realize how many things truly bring me joy. for instance, i realized how much i love driving--especially on long, open roads. to me, driving is so therapeutic. you can listen to music, you can think and process your emotions, or you can even just sit in silence and drive. something else that brings me joy is being clean. i know it sounds ridiculous, but i swear it puts me in a better mood! there’s nothing better than taking a shower at night and washing the day off; spending a little extra time taking care of your skin and body and then slipping into freshly washed sheets. and, to top it all off, having a little snack (maybe some hot cocoa, maybe some ice cream) and just watching a movie in your bed until you feel tired and go to sleep. i just live for those little moments! finally, listening to music truly brings me joy. i never realized how influential music can be in shaping how you feel until recently. it’s such a great way to start off your morning with empowering and uplifting songs that make you feel as though you can take on the entire world! i recommend everyone to make a morning playlist to kickstart their day, whether it be an upbeat and fun playlist or a calming and relaxing one.