@heyprilll (she/her)
digital content creator, florist, friend

As I get older I become more aware of the different feelings and emotions I go through. Growing up I thought it was not ok to feel anything other than positive emotions. I used to think that you had to be a happy person 24/7 so that people would want to be around you. I used to ignore my negative emotions and push myself to feel happy to please others. I used to think that crying was a sign of weakness. Surrounding myself with people who are comfortable showing and talking about their feelings made me realize that it is ok to cry, to be sad, to be angry, to feel anxious or overwhelmed. As I get older, I realize that experiencing all of my emotions is a way to honor myself.

We need to normalize the fact that people aren't happy all the time. I want people to know that it's not always happy, or good, or positive... sometimes life gets really hard. I want others to remember that we shouldn't compare our lives to someone else's based on what we see from the outside. There are days where I post a video of myself running through a flower field, but I don't show myself crying in the car because of how anxious I am. Despite what others present, we're all going through something. We need to stop putting pressure on people to be a certain way or feel a certain way. We can do that by being more open about our own emotions and feelings, and by recognizing that it's human to experience the happy and the sad, the anxious and the joyful, the overwhelming and the strong... and all the moments in between.

—
video and photos: @heyprilll