Why I've Been Gone: Self Reflection

   So I've been gone for a while, a while which has made me come to some rough realizations about myself and the way I treat myself.
   I realized that I am not as well as I thought I was, something was rough to see. I am getting better, but I'm not great, not yet. I feel better, but not well. I still have a lot of things to work on, including how I handle feelings and what I let get to me. I don't understand why certain things get to me, why some people get to me more than others, and I've finally decided to not let those things and people bother me anymore. Only I have power over what hurts me.
   I've also realized that I don't handle criticism very well, and that I need to express my emotions more. I need to talk about what I think, feel and my opinions, and not just on the internet. Out there, in the real world, face to face with actual humans. But I'm scared of that, since I have always gotten ridiculed for them, and I don't want to share my opinions and thoughts directly to people. I'm also more comfortable with expressing my thoughts in writing.
   I've also been told something interesting about people close to me, and even though there are still things that bother me, like always having to apologize first and people being petty, I realize now that I can't ask this person to evolve in that way, simply because I think it would make them better, they have to evolve on their own, and there's nothing I can do about that.
   I've also been thinking that I should spend more times doing a lot of things. I don't blog anymore, I don't photograph anymore, and I don't write as much. I miss doing all of those things, and I should really start doing them again. I'm not going to change that overnight, but there are some things I need to change.
   So you know, here's a little list of the things I want/need to change for myself to become happier again

• Surround myself with happy people: let's get away from all the annoying, negative people on the earth, because how am I supposed to feel good around people who don't set out to be positive and happy?
• Start working out more: this one speaks for itself. I am loosing weight and getting in better shape, but I'm 100% sure that I can improve on it
• Read more: also, kinda explains itself. I always talk about improving myself, but I know I could put more effort into it. If Roosevelt could read one book a day during his precidency, I can put more effort into reading too.
• Sleep more, and drink more water: I do both of these way too little as it is, and if I'm ever going to get my life together, this is a good starting point. At least eight hours of sleep every night and two litres of water every day from now on.
• Express myself creatively again: drawing, writing, painting... All that. Give me more of that.
• Stop caring what people think about me: Most people don't even care, and I should apply that more to myself.
• And last but not least; Do both what I have to, and what I want. I haven't been able to fit both of these in my life since forever, and I want to find a balance.