POV: You Stopped Being “Cringe” and Lost Your Spark...

“Before the world told me who to be, I already knew.”

“Sometimes healing looks like remembering.”

Hey Sunny, 💛

Since we are still floating in the spirit of love, I wanted us to talk about something tender, the art of going back to the things we used to love but slowly abandoned because we were scared of being perceived as weird. You know that quiet shift? When you start editing yourself for the world. When suddenly your joy feels “too much,” “too childish,” “too cringe.” And without even realizing it, you pack parts of yourself into boxes and label them “later.”

For me, that box was reading.

And not the serious, highlighter-in-hand, academic type of reading. I’m talking about fictional worlds. Dramatic plots. Characters who felt like best friends. I was a full-blown Wattpad kid. Yes. Capital W. I remember hiding under my duvet at 13 or 14, phone brightness on the lowest setting, heart racing as I refreshed chapters written by other teenagers who were ridiculously talented. Their stories glued me to my screen at 2 a.m., and somehow that felt like magic. I even wrote my own stories on there and before that, handwritten novels for my friends to pass around in school like secret treasures.

Outside of Wattpad, I devoured books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Famous Five, and Kenyan stories like My Life in Crime and other John Kiriamiti books, and the Moses series. Back then, reading wasn’t productivity. It wasn’t aesthetic. It wasn’t content. It was just joy.

And joy was enough.

When “Adulting” Steals Your Spark...

“Growing up shouldn’t mean shrinking yourself.”

After high school, adulting arrived like an uninvited motivational speaker. Suddenly, everything had to be serious. Productive. Mature. I stopped reading fiction. I convinced myself I had “outgrown” it. But if I’m honest? I was trying to look less weird. Less childish. More put-together.

And somewhere in that performance, I felt my spark dim a little.

Books also became expensive, and that didn’t help. So I stopped. Completely. Until 2024, when something in me whispered, “You miss this.” I started downloading books online (because let’s be real), but lately I’ve been feeling this urge to buy physical copies again. When I was younger, I promised myself I’d have a mini library in my big-girl apartment. Floor-to-ceiling shelves. A cozy chair. Soft lighting. The whole Pinterest dream.

I may not have the big-girl apartment yet… but who said I can’t start the library now?

Kids Know Themselves Better Than We Think...

“Before the world told you who to be, you already were.”

And this isn’t just about books.

It’s about remembering who you were before you started curating yourself.

I truly believe that as kids, we are the purest versions of ourselves. There’s less noise. No algorithm telling you what’s cool. No pressure to curate your personality. You just… like what you like.

So maybe this is your sign to go back.

Maybe you loved:

• Drawing anime characters in the margins of your notebook

• Writing poetry you never showed anyone

• Making friendship bracelets

• Dancing in your room dramatically

• Watching Disney Channel reruns

• Listening to early 2000s pop on full volume

• Rewatching your comfort TV shows

• Collecting random things (stickers, notebooks, magazines)

• Baking messy cupcakes just for fun

Or maybe it wasn’t a hobby. Maybe it was a music genre you secretly loved but stopped playing because it wasn’t “cool.” Maybe it was a TV show you adored but felt too grown to admit. Maybe it was wearing colorful outfits instead of neutral everything.

Going back doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the past. It means you’re reclaiming parts of yourself that were always yours.

And if you try something again and realize you don’t enjoy it anymore? That’s okay too. Growth also means discovering new things. Try pottery. Try journaling. Try baking at midnight. Try photography. Try learning random facts about space. Try coding. Try scrapbooking. Try reading fantasy again. Or don’t. The point is: experiment. Curiously. Gently.

Creativity Is Just You, Unfiltered...

“Expression is where your soul stretches.”

In the spirit of going back, I’ve been leaning into journaling in more creative ways, not just “Dear diary” entries, but mood boards, messy pages, random poetry, even writing letters to my younger self. I’ve also started coloring again. Yes. Coloring. And I love it. There’s something so peaceful about filling in shapes with no agenda.

Creativity doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to feel like you.

And I also want to say this gently: I know some of you might be reading this and thinking, “I never really had a normal childhood.” Maybe you didn’t get the space to explore hobbies or be carefree. Please hear me, it is never too late to discover what you like. You are allowed to start now. You are allowed to meet yourself at 20, 25, 30, whenever, and ask: “What feels good? What feels like mine?”

That question alone can change everything.

To My Sunnies 🌷...

“You are allowed to return to yourself.”

My sunnies, if you’ve been feeling a little disconnected lately, maybe it’s not that you need to become someone new. Maybe you just need to go back to who you were before you started filtering yourself for the world. If being alone makes you feel weird, if liking certain things makes you feel childish, if your joy feels “too much” I promise you, it’s not. It’s yours.

Bring back the hobby.

Bring back the playlist.

Bring back the show.

Bring back the softness.

And if you discover you’ve changed? That’s beautiful too. The goal isn’t to stay the same, it’s to stay honest with yourself.

If this resonated with you, subscribe so you never miss our little heart-to-heart moments. Follow me on Instagram @_.selfcare_diary for more soft-life reminders and cozy chaos. And don’t forget to tune into my podcast, Navigating Life Diaries, where we unpack all of this and more in real time.

Let’s keep choosing ourselves, even in the small, quiet ways. 🌙✨