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‘You are beautiful’. Illustration by Maryam Jamal

Messages

A poem by Ioana Goga

‘You are valuable’.

‘You are smart’.

‘You are beautiful’.

I wrote on a Post-it Note stuck to my bathroom mirror,
So that every morning when I get up and look at myself I have an alternative to the crippling self-doubt,
And when my eyes see my face in the mirror my brain will make a correlation between my being and the messages and I will trick it into believing them.

Say it three times without rolling your eyes.
Say it until your damage no longer has the shape of monsters under your bed and skeletons in your closet, but resembles an annoying acquaintance from a distant past that’s not important enough to have a major impact over you.

Say it until you matter enough to yourself that you won’t base your self-worth solely on your achievements.
Say it until you no longer crave validation.

Say it until ‘You’re not good enough’ is no longer yelled constantly in the back of your head, but it becomes a whisper.
Say it until you can enjoy the ride, but, also, until you reach your happy ending.

‘You are valuable’. Illustration by Maryam Jamal
‘You are smart’. Illustration by Maryam Jamal
‘You are beautiful’. Illustration by Maryam Jamal

Maryam Jamal is an artist and designer from the heart of Bahrain. Her inspirations stem from her love for the new and strange, her surroundings and what she surrounds herself with, be it different cultures, fashion or stories.

instagram @maryamjamalart
www.maryamjamal.art

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