A lil reflection on friendships 💛 Swipe to the end for one of my fave quotes on friendship. As I mentioned in my recent “Navigating Adulthood” Q&A vid, something I wish I knew going into my 20s would be: that I could have had prioritized friends and my “social life” AND still care about my school, work, and family. Whether it was social anxiety, a conflicting family event, the need to spend time on work or school or extracurriculars, or simply not feeling like it, I found myself easily saying “no” to hangouts and new experiences with friends. In high school, I would even sometimes use my parents as scapegoats (“sorry, my parents don’t let”) if I didn’t feel like going out. And when Ryan and I started dating five years ago, we pretty much just hung out with each other. I definitely still cared a lot for my friends and would prioritize chatting with them, but seeing them in person was never really at the top of my list. When I left the classroom at the beginning of this year, I told myself to try to say “yes” more if even a fraction of me wanted to go (cause sometimes I just wanna chill at home yknow), especially since I had more time, energy, and mental capacity to do so. And tbh, it’s not always easy and I still feel my anxiety shoot up when people ask to hang out sometimes. But despite the potential jitters and hesitations, I’ve been really thankful for each time I say “yes.” It’s been so nice spending time with people who truly care about each other—deepening relationships with close friends, getting to know new friends, reconnecting with old friends, and everything in between. 😊 Please enjoy these photos from the two disposable cameras that I bought :,) so cute and happy hehehe #2000snostalgia #genzaesthetic lmao