self esteem – Life with Charli

100 posts! Let’s Celebrate!

I just received a notification from WordPress that said I’ve published over 100 posts on the platform! Yay me! But seriously, this is wonderful. One of my fears when I started blogging was that I would run of ideas to write. Here I am nearly six years and 100 posts later, and I’m still going. I started this blog because I believe everyone has an interesting and important story to tell, and I wanted to share mine.

Sharing my story and experiences has been a wonderful journey so far. I’ve talked a lot about my experience with a genetic disorder called Turner syndrome on my blog. For years after I was diagnosed as a teenager, I kept my condition to myself, only sharing it with a very select few people. As I grew older, I started advocating for myself, and I needed people to understand what my day to day life is like as a woman with Turner syndrome. This inspired me to share my story. One of my first blog posts was “Imperfectly Perfect: Life with Turner Syndrome”. The truth is, I actually wrote this blog post for a major magazine. I submitted it, but never heard back from any representative from the magazine company. That’s when I decided to create my own platform. That’s how Life with Charli came about! I was nervous about starting a blog, but I realized that if I wanted more awareness on Turner syndrome, I needed to be comfortable with sharing my story.

I have also talked a lot about dealing with mental illness on my blog. I have mentioned many times on my blog that was hesitant to start therapy and medication for my mental illness. To be honest, even up to the time I started my blog, I was still hesitant. However, I noticed a lot of other bloggers boldly talking about mental illness with no shame. Then, one day, I asked on one of X, then Twitter, if anyone would like to share their story on my blog.

I was so happy when I got a response from a fellow writer Lesley Skinner. When Lesley told me that she wanted to write about mental illness, I gladly collaborated with her and published “Christianity and Mental Health”. Around that time, a fellow blogger, Nadine, shouted me out as a fellow mental health advocate.

I was shocked, because I didn’t see myself as one. However, I happily accepted the praise. It wasn’t really my intention to focus on mental health, but looking back, that was a topic I have been talking about from my very first post “This is Life: Your Purpose, Your gift”, which focused on self love. Other early posts that followed also focused on mental health, like “Judgements and Assumptions”, which focused on social anxiety. I just did not realize how connected to mental health those posts were. I was just writing my experience. Amazingly, people were listening responding so positively to what I had to say. Little did my fellow bloggers know, though, that I was listening to them too. I decided to reach out for help with my mental illness like so many of my fellow bloggers, and was officially diagnosed with depression and borderline personality disorder.

It felt so good to finally be getting help. I’m very grateful to the bloggers who have had an influence on my mental health and blogging journey. With the beautiful feedback I have been receiving throughout my time blogging, I know my story has reached others as well. For instance, a beautiful soul took the time to send this email to me:

A very warm thankyou to you my friend, and to all those who have been supporting me through all this time. If you are sharing your story online like me, know that people are watching and listening. You are making an impact on someone’s life. Keep sharing your story.

Thankyou for visiting and helping me celebrate 100 published posts. Here’s to 100 more.

My Mental Health journey so far and looking forward in 2025

Picture taken from Pixabay

Hello everyone! Well guys, we are at the beginning of a new year again! As I was thinking about what I wanted to post next on my blog, I began thinking about how far I have come on my journey with working on my mental health. I started working on my mental health in 2020. I started from being afraid of going to therapy to firmly advocating for it. I went from being against psychiatric medication to believing in their effectiveness.

My journey has not been easy, and I have had a few depressive episodes and break downs. Last year though, I am proud to say that I have not had any depressive episodes or breakdowns. I’ve been feeling more confident than I’ve ever felt before. I’m doing so well with my mental health that I am even having less therapy sessions. At the beginning of my mental health journey, I was going to therapy 3 times a week. That’s how bad my mental health was. Now I’m seeing a therapist once every two weeks. My mental health is not perfect, but I feel so different than I felt before starting my mental health journey. I never thought I would reach to a point where I would be able to say I truly loved myself. I have never felt better. I am very much looking forward to another year of mental stability.

I’m on Tiny Buddha!!

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! I’m so excited to share this news with all you! As you can tell from the title, I’m on Tiny Buddha!I’m sure Tiny Buddha needs no introduction! It is a popular blog that has been around since 2009! Wow! I admire the founder Lori Deschene and her work on Tiny Buddha, and I admire the fact that she allows others to share their wisdom and stories on the blog as well! When I reached out to Ms. Deschene, I was surprised and delighted that she actually responded! She was very kind and her responses were swift! It’s truly an honor to be featured on her blog Tiny Buddha!

To be featured on Tiny Buddha, your post should be at least one thousand words. My style of blogging is writing long posts, but I don’t usually write posts that reach one thousand words! I’m so proud of myself! I’m particularly happy with this post, and hope you all take something away from it. To read the post, visit Tiny Buddha! My post is called Lessons from a Late Bloomer Who Wanted to Be Famous! You can also click here.

Thankyou for visiting me! Until next time!

– Charli

Guest Post: A Letter of Self Love and Strength

Last time, Arlene and I talked about self love. You can view our first collaboration post here. This time around, the focus is on trying to move on mistakes or traumas. We decided to write letters to ourselves, and post the letters on each other’s blogs. Below, you will find Arlene’s letter to herself:

Dear Angie,

Your life has been about overcoming challenges, breaking through barriers, and moving

forward. Ironically, I know you’ve never asked for much, yet the love and support you’ve longed for seem out of reach. I want you

to realize how proud I am of your resilience and how far you’ve come. I can’t think of anyone else who has faced the trials you have and decided to rise above them. You’ve had the perfect excuse to give up if you wanted to.

I understand how exhausting and draining it can be a

t times. Seeing how much of a journey still lies ahead can be disheartening. It’s like swirling the entire ocean, only to find that the shore is still

far away.

Now that you have the incredible tools and knowledge you wish you had from the beginning, it brings up an inevitable question: If you know what you have left to do, why don’t you do it?

Morpheus

expressed it more eloquently in his response:”Sooner or later, you’re going to realize, just as I did, that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”

We both know you know better, so What’s holding you back from moving on, dear?

I know you’ve been trying to take care of your mom for as long as you can remember.

Despite your efforts to detach, surrender, accept, honor, and support her, it seems there’s still a small yet big step to take.

Acceptance and

resistance both have many layers. You might think you’ve moved past something until it catches you off guard.

Spending each day by your mother’s side causes you sorrow and drains your energy. It’s challenging to accept that there’s nothing more you can do for her

, and both of you need to move on. With numerous changes and challenges, you need to continue with your life, while she needs to follow the natural course of life as well. The days seem long and unbearable for her.

Facing the inevitable, especially knowing she wants to move out of your home

, feels like you’re pulling a trigger in a way. It’s like a one-way ticket.

The thought of a care facility is burdensome and unpleasant to you. Ironically, your mother would be better cared for there than at home, and it would also give you a break from the

the constant stress of dealing with nurses, medicines, and everything else.

Maybe deep down, you know it’s not just

about her; it’s about your whole life

changing. The uncertainty of what’s to come is

both exhilarating and terrifying. Perhaps you’re using the situation with your mom as a shield, almost a symbol.

She is the last link you have with your known life of origin. Everything else seems to be spiraling. It’s a positive spiral, yes, but a dizzying one. Your whole life is new.

I understand you may feel alone in the world

.I encourage you to continue your spiritual journey, filling the void, and moving on with love and purpose.

Keep moving forward, Angie.

About Arlene

Arlene is a blogger, Systemic & Family Constellation Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Trauma Specialization student. You can click here to visit her blog. You can also visit Arlene on social media and say hello!

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/arlenedeangelis/

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When Loving Yourself is a Struggle

Picture taken from Pixabay

Hi all! Welcome back to my blog! How many of you heard about the concept of the angel and the demon on your shoulders? I am playing the role of the demon on the shoulder and will be talking about my insecurities. Fellow blogger Arlene De Angelis will be playing the role of the angel and will be responding to my post. Arlene has a beautiful blog that focuses on helping her readers learn to love themselves. Her posts are in both English and Spanish! Arlene’s posts come from her experience as a Systemic & Family Constellation Practitioner, Energy Healer, and Trauma Specialization student. I had a great time collaborating with her and talking with her! She is honestly so sweet, and you’d definitely feel uplifted by her posts! So visit her blog and check it out!

Without further ado my half of the post is below:

I’ve been bullied since I was small. I can’t help but feel there are too many things wrong with me, and people notice them right away. I don’t like my back, because I have scoliosis. My posture is horrible. I also don’t like that I’ve gained a lot of weight recently. Maybe I need to really need to lower the amount of food I’m eating. I should skip breakfast or lunch from now on. I also don’t like my feet. I’m never wearing sandals! Sometimes I wish I were someone else. I don’t know what to do.

To read Arlene’s response please click here: https://arlenedeangelis.com/is-disliking-yourself-getting-you-somewhere-you-want-to-go/ and read some of her other posts while there as well! You can also visit her socials to say hello!

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Home

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Guest Post – Don’t be Ashamed of your Mental Health Journey

Hello everyone! Last time, I posted a guest post by fellow blogger Rae from Second Chances. I met Rae on Facebook and I loved her inspirational content! I just had to get in touch! She talks about mental illness on her blog like I do, and I was so happy when she agreed to let me share her powerful story on my blog! What an honor! And now she’s sharing my story with mental illness on her blog! To read my story click over to Rae’s blog here. Be sure to also checkout other posts on her blog. There you will find powerful stories on dealing with addiction and domestic violence. Rae shares these stories to encourage those dealing with these issues to seek help.

Turner Syndrome? What’s that?

What is Turner Syndrome? In this guest post, fellow blogger Seguilola Salami helps me share a little about what Turner Syndrome is and my experience with it in order to spread a little awareness. Thankyou Seguilola! You can read the guest post here. While there, be sure to also checkout other posts on Seguilola’s blog! If you are into books and love to read, her blog is for you! If you have small children and you are looking for books for them, checkout Seguilola’s blog! She has a lot of recommendations, and you’ll enjoy listening to her adorable daughter give reviews on children’s books and interview authors! Click here to checkout her blog! Enjoy!

Learning to Love Yourself with Wednesday

Bianca: “You’re lucky”

Wednesday: “Do tell.”

Bianca: “You don’t care what people think of you.”

Photo taken from Netflix

I mentioned in a previous post that I don’t have much luck with guys. I actually don’t have much luck with people in general. At least that’s what I can’t get myself to stop thinking all the time.

“That person thinks I’m weird”, I would often tell a family member.

“Why do you think that?”, they would often ask, reminding me that what I’m think is not fact.

“People tend to be selfish and are mostly thinking about themselves”, my therapist would always remind me.

No matter how hard I try to keep what I’m told in mind, it’s often hard for me not to think about what’s others are thinking about me. While watching “Wednesday”, what stuck out to to me was how different I am from the titular character. She genuinely doesn’t care about what people think about her. I care a bit too much about what people think about me. Some professionals who analyzed the show think Wednesday might have autism. This might be why she has so much trouble showing her emotions. I, on the other hand, have borderline personality disorder and often have trouble keeping my emotions in check.

What really caught my attention about Wednesday, however, is that she knows she’s different and accepts that. Her viral dance sequence shows this most. She’s confident and not afraid to be herself. What I love most is that though there are some scenes when she sometimes feels insecure and afraid of being alone and eventually allows friends to have a little influence on her, none of this changes who she is at her core. Wednesday will allows be Wednesday, and through the rough patches, her friends start to accept this. They don’t try to change her. Instead, the relationship that Wednesday has with her friends is reciprocal, especially with her best friend Enid. Wednesday starts the series feeling she is better off alone, and Enid starts the series feeling insecure. The series ends with Wednesday fully accepting Enid’s friendship and Enid gaining confidence.

Watching Wednesday really put into perspective for me how hard it can be to feel different from others, but how easy it can feel to be ok with that when you are comfortable with yourself and have people around you who accept you for who you are. I am definitely still a work in progress, but I am learning to love myself, and when people tell me they love me the way I am, I am learning to believe them.

Happy Valentine’s Day to Me!

Picture taken from Pixabay

I never really had much luck with guys and dating. I’ve even had the word “ugly” thrown at me several times. If you’re told something enough times, you start to believe it.

I started believing I must be too ugly and unattractive for any guy to date me, or even want to. I continued thinking that even after becoming an adult and guys started showing interest in me. Too stuck in my low self-esteem, it’s sometimes actually hard for my to even notice when a guy is showing interest in me. My siblings always make fun of me for being a little air-headed sometimes.

Due to my struggles with my self esteem, however, I haven’t really been interested in starting a relationship anyway recently. I’m happily single and working on self-love. I truly believe there is some truth to the saying that no one can love you better than you love yourself. People are going treat you the way you treat yourself, so treat yourself well.

I’m slowly unlearning what I’ve been told many times. I am beautiful, and dear reader, so are you. So this upcoming Valentine’s Day, especially to my single brothers and sisters out there, celebrate your love for yourself. Happy Valentine’s Day, and I’ll see you in the next post!

Joining Forces with World Supermoms: Embrace the Superhero in you

I am so excited to announce that I am collaborating with World Supermoms! With so many expectations on women and mothers, it can be difficult to be a woman! However, there is no such thing as the ideal woman or mother. World Supermoms is a nonprofit organization that uses their platform to help each mother and woman in general embrace what makes her special and unique. Recently, Supermoms reached out to me to republish one of my blog posts! That blog post is Imperfectly Perfect: My life with Turner Syndrome. This is perfect timing, since February happens to be Turner Syndrome Awareness Month! I am very proud of that post, and I am so honored that World Moms enjoyed it enough to republish it! If you haven’t taken a look at that post yet, visit World Supermoms to give it a look! Click here to read the post! Thank for this opportunity World Supermoms, and thankyou to my readers for visiting! Until next time!

– Charli