You and I have a lot in common when it comes to anxiety.

It is just recently that I have been trying to face it head on. I've found that a lot of it is triggered from an extremely low sense of self-worth, one that I have had since childhood. And life has a terrible way of exacerbating that, especially when people have mistreated you.

So I'm working on my confidence. Finding out who I am and who I want to be and trying to become that person. And trying to be that person regardless of what others may think of it. I can no longer find my sense of identity in others. I have figure out how to be okay with being me.

So your last statement really resonates with me, because that is exactly the idea I'm trying to live out.

So, I feel you, girl. We're fighting the same fight. You're definitely not alone.

For me, it was always the overwhelming desire to be accepted by others. If you fall into that trap, you will spend your energy trying to be the person that you think others want you to be, which can be a different person depending on the situation. This never works.

The truth is that you will never really know absolutely what others think of you, and even if you have a depth of communication that allows for a deeper understanding of their perception, their opinion of you will never be 100% correct.

We can't live up to our perceived notions of other's expectations. So we have to be willing to accept others as they are.

We have to search our heart and determine the principles by which we will live our life, and then do our best to live up to those principles. We need to cultivate our passions and interests, and not things that we thing will endear us to others, because while making others like us will make us feel better, allowing the things that are planted in us to grow will fulfill us.

In relationships where there is accountability (spouses, family, close friends), we need to love them from who we are, and allow growth to happen through the course of the relationship.

This discussion could ultimately be a book, so I'll wrap it up here: You can't love others well if you don't love yourself. You can't love yourself if you aren't yourself. Trying to be another person just so someone will accept you will just cause you to hate who you are.

Dream interpretation is far from a science, mostly because science doesn't really understand exactly what purpose dreams serve. There are a lot of theories, and one school of thought is that recurring dreams are a way to subconsciously work through anxieties/fears.

Unraveling the symbolism in dreams is also tricky, because the same symbols can mean different things to different people, which makes compiling a definitive list of "x=y" problematic.

Although, I have known a few people who are very spiritually insightful that were helpful in interpreting the meaning of dreams.

That having been said - the feelings invoked by the situations encountered in the dreams are usually the important bit. Once you answer "how does that make me feel?", you can usually take inventory of your current life situation to figure out what might make you feel that way.

I could venture some guesses, but not knowing you more personally would probably make them mostly inaccurate.

(Disclaimer: I am not a therapist, although I think sometimes I might like to be)

I hate these commercials with an everlasting hate. So much so, that I will never, ever shop at a NAPA auto parts.

Red Vines or Twizzlers? I'll eat either, but prefer Red Vines.

Creamy Peanut Butter or Chunky? Chunky.

Scented Candles or Unscented? Definitely unscented. I'm fragrance sensitive.

SUV or Sedan? Love SUV's for the room and the ride, but hate them for fuel.

Book or Kindle? As much as I love technology, there is nothing like a real book.

Phone or Text? Text. Hate, hate, hate talking on the phone.

Camping or Hotel’ing? Hoteling. I enjoy the outdoors in brief spurts, but I require a certain amount of comfort to be able to sleep.

2-Ply or 1-Ply? 1 Ply, and only this brand: http://amzn.to/tMEq1l

This is absolutely heartbreaking. I am so sorry for your family, especially since the circumstances are so tragic.

It's a shame that life comes to tragic circumstances before people see the error of their ways, and it's even worse when it's too late.

Your cousin and I are the same age. That makes this whole thing even more sobering to me. I've been through a series of sobering realizations lately, and have already been looking for ways to better 'make my dash count'. I don't want to be one that gives into the pressure and lets this life beat me. I am going to choose joy, fight this good fight, and no matter how many punches I take, I'm going to win in the end.

Thank you for saying what I've been thinking for the past several days. Not sure how to act on this, but I know I will be.

It is so cool that you all are doing this.

I've never been much for tattoos personally (though I don't oppose anyone else getting them). I mostly just think a tattoo would look really out of place on me.

Though, after seeing some of yours, I may end up changing my mind.

Sara's life and words have inspired so many people, myself included.

I'm a better person for having known her.

Sunth - A day. 'One more sunth until Wednesday'

Florange - Flavored with oranges. 'I love florange chocolates'.

Stilver - To become quiet. 'The show was about to start, so the crowd began to stilver'.

Blurple - The color of a bruise.