Things I've learned since being in a serious relationship.

So most of you may know that I've been dating my boyfriend Ian now for almost a year and half. He is honestly one of the best things to ever happen to me. Being in this relationship has taught me so much about love and myself as a person. We started dating at the beginning of my last semester of college. This has helped me grow a lot as person but in some ways it hasn't. It's not a bad thing at all it has just been one big learning experience for me.

Him and I have a great relationship, its not perfect but I wouldn't have it any other way. He understands me like no one else does, and I hope he always does even when I change throughout life. I hope he will still love me enough to always keep learning new things about me as I get older and change with age. But throughout this whole process I have learned that I can't give our relationship 100% unless I love myself and take care of myself first, mentally and emotionally. I have to be the best me I can for me and for him.

Since I've been going through all of these emotional changes and difficulties with being happy and content with who I am, though it hasn't effected our relationship, it has made me realize just how much I had been relying on him to love me when I was transitioning from being a college student to a full fledged working adult. When I did this it made me take a step away from taking the time to take care of myself and love myself, not only for who I was in college but also who I was becoming.

This is how I believe my anxiety started even though I worried, cared about, and loved Ian during that whole time. I had left my old self out in the cold without all of the old things I loved to do that used to keep me warm and happy by just being myself. For instance, like blogging, singing, making videos, painting my nails, listening to music, drinking coffee while doing my makeup, and simply enjoying my life for what it was. Instead, I just didn't even think about all of that stuff because I was "too busy" with how my life was changing, no longer being in school, moving back home, trying to find a job at the time, making time for my new relationship and deciding what I wanted to do with my life.

I was so worried about the unknown of it all and the future that was fast approaching. It felt like I had no other choice but to have it all figured out right away. I know that anxiety just doesn't go away in a day and that it is going to take some time and work to adjust and remind myself that I can always do something to change the mood I'm in. I don't have to be warn down and unhappy. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." -Dumbledore

Thank you all for reading and being with through all of this. You are all one in a million. Stay tuned for Monday's post on my top 10 ways to relieve stress for 2016.

xo Cassie