Weekend experience: What has changed from when I was young to now, besides the kilos I've gained 🤣

Here I am again, participating in this wonderful weekend experience initiative. Today, I've chosen the theme of youth, or rather, how I once was, what has changed for the better, and how I've grown. And no, I haven't chosen any boring selfies, but rather some photos of myself that have made me regret my lost slimness and beauty. Oh, twenty-five kilos less ago, that's what I've grown over time: my belly! Aside from the silly things in these photos, I was just 18, and many things have matured and changed in me since then, both negatively and positively.

But since the topic is about the positive ones, I'll focus on those. At the time, I was a very shy girl, despite my appearance and my exuberant outfits (I mostly dressed in goth clothes). I had various social difficulties, which fortunately I've now completely overcome. In those years, I would have liked to go out more, be more outgoing, more fluent in conversation, and less afraid of people. Today, I'm relaxed, outgoing, and have a great gift for the gab, but I have very little desire to meet other people. As a young woman, in addition to my shyness, which I overcame thanks in part to a theater course that was a lifesaver, I also had a lot of difficulty making stable, or even fleeting, friendships. Over the years, however, I've managed to build a good network of friends.

From that age, however, I began doing things to improve my character traits: theater, which helped me tremendously with both shyness and social skills; live role-playing games, which took me out of my comfort zone; and then, of course, entering the world of work. Initially, I was a complete loser in various jobs and often received rude treatment from colleagues. As I grew older, I learned, thanks in part to psychotherapy, to gain respect in the workplace, although I still have work to do on my self-esteem.

As a young woman, I also traveled extensively and worked in the Netherlands, which helped me tremendously with my English, which I still speak fluently today. I've changed a lot since then, but some things have improved, except my salaries, thanks to Italy; they're the same as they were fifteen years ago. As an adult, I've developed a greater self-awareness that I didn't possess as a girl. I struggled to express my ideas and even to say a healthy no. Now I know that no is useful and that my ideas and thoughts are just as valid as anyone else's. I hope you enjoyed my photos and I hope to see you next weekend. Seeing myself young made me a little nostalgic, I won't deny it, especially because of my skinny body!

First picture edited by canva translation with deepl.