Hello beautiful,

If you’ve got this far you must have read a little about me already. If not, don’t worry, you’re about to get to know me a little better. I’ll try make this short and sweet.

As you’ve probably gathered by now, my name is, Erin Besnard, I’m 18 years old, currently living in Durban, South Africa, but in January next year I will be moving to the beautiful town of Stellenbosch. I was born and raised in Durban, I absolutely love my hometown and I really will miss the beachy, “summer all year round” vibe when I leave next year. However, in saying that, I cannot wait to experience everything Stellenbosch has to offer.

Throughout my life I struggled with anxiety and over the years I have learnt to deal with it so that it doesn’t take over my life and stop me from doing everything I love (blog post coming soon). The way I chose to escape from all of my anxious thoughts was through dancing. I went to ballet and contemporary classes Monday through to Thursday from the end of Grade 8 and I didn’t stop until the middle of Grade 11. I was trying to juggle school work, dancing, family and friends and it all became a bit too much, this all ended up causing more anxiety than it relieved. When I gave up dancing, I had to find a new way to deal with my anxiety. This, was when I learnt about the power of positive thinking, I learnt that you get to decide what consumes your mind.

I’m about to become a first year student, I’m going to have to maintain a social life and a healthy lifestyle (it’s called BALANCE), which is going to be very busy, but I have made a promise to myself that I will put myself first and I will take care of myself in order to continue being the best version of me. I have seen what positive thinking, eating well, exercising regularly and surrounding yourself with likeminded people can do – your life changes for the better.

Somewhere out there, there is someone who needs to read what I have to say. My ultimate goal in life is to make those around me feel loved, happy and confident in who they are. Life can be hard, it can be messy and we often feel that we are alone and have no one to go to, well my beautiful, you’ve now got the erin diaries. I am here to answer all your questions about life, share my experiences and give advice on important life-related topics. So, make some tea, sit down, get comfy, you’re about to read the erin diaries.

Have a beautiful day. Stay special. And remember – think positive.

All my love,

Erin xoxo