When you're going through a best friend break-up, whatever the reason, music can always help. Especially with these 10 songs.
SEE ALSO: 17 Breakup Songs That Will Help Your Broken Heart When The Ice Cream Just Isn't Cutting It

When you're going through a best friend break-up, whatever the reason, music can always help. Especially with these 10 songs.
SEE ALSO: 17 Breakup Songs That Will Help Your Broken Heart When The Ice Cream Just Isn't Cutting It
I’m not one of those people who doesn’t believe in God because“if there was a God, why would He let such horrible things happen?” Saying that because sometimes bad things happen, there must be no benevolent higher power, to me, makes about as much sense as saying that because sometimes it gets dark, there must be no light.
I’m not even one of those people who doesn’t believe in God. I do; I don’t think science alone can explain everything. However, I also believe that science does not seek to disprove religion (nor does religion seek to disprove science). The two can work together in conjunction.
What I am is someone whose faith has been shaken. I am someone who looks at other people who have faith—who looks at how much faith I used to have—and wonders, what happened? Where has my faith gone?
I think the problem is, I believe in God, but I don’t really believe in religion.
Writing this, I recall a paper I wrote my sophomore year in high school. We had to write about someone who had impacted our life in some way, and I wrote about Rainbow, a homeless man I met while volunteering at Rescue Atlanta, a homeless shelter. Our church worship team left from our church early one Sunday morning to assist the shelter in their Sunday proceedings, which included riding the buses to pick up the homeless from around Atlanta, serving breakfast, handing out clothes and toiletries before they showered, sitting and talking with them while they waited to see a doctor, and lastly, worshipping. We were there for at least six hours, so we rotated jobs a lot. At one point, we just talked to the people. I don’t remember much about my conversation with Rainbow, but I remember two things distinctly: how easy it was for us to connect, despite our differences, and his parting words to me and some other worship team members. As he shook each of our hands, he said, “I’ll see you at the Great White throne.” I don’t know why, but his words have stuck with me through all these years.
I mention this anecdote because I think my problem is that, back when I was a sophomore in high school, I only knew the good side of religion, the sense of community it created. The fact of the matter is, I have thousands of anecdotes like this one. I didn’t know the bad side of religion because I didn’t have to—but things are different, now.
I used to be comfortable with religion, but now I’m uncomfortable. I’ve realized recently that it’s not my faith in God that has been shaken, but my faith in the institution of religion. I don’t have a problem with religion as a whole; I think it is important for people to gather in like-minded communities to share in worship. I have a problem when people use religion to oppress other people. I have a problem when people use religion as a justification for hatred, bigotry, and just plain ignorance.
What I know for sure is that I believe in kindness. I believe that, no matter who you are, or what you’ve done, you deserve to be treated with respect, and that you should offer that same courtesy to other people. And I believe in God, even when I don’t believe in religion.
Odyssey recognizes that mental well-being is a huge component of physical wellness. Our mission this month is to bring about awareness & normality to conversations around mental health from our community. Let's recognize the common symptoms and encourage the help needed without judgement or prejudice. Life's a tough journey, we are here for you and want to hear from you.
The first article I wrote for the Odyssey was about one of my experiences with anxiety. It wasn't written as a cry for help, but rather in the hopes that someone else who hasn't opened up about their mental health issues could feel like there was someone they could relate to. Now, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to open up more about why it’s of paramount importance that we address mental health awareness.
I can say from personal experience that it’s difficult to admit you have mental health issues, especially because of the stigma that surrounds them. Emotional distresses and illnesses are more often than not “treated” by being told to “suck it up” or “deal with it,” while physical health issues are treated with utmost seriousness. And unlike an antibiotic that can heal the stomach flu or a fever, there is no reliable cure-all for mental health issues.
I’ve often wondered why there exists such a gap between acknowledgment of physical health and mental health problems. I personally believe this can largely be attributed to how the latter is discussed across the media. We toss and turn over the irrational actions of mentally-ill psychopaths that star in the dramas and horror movies we watch. We blame the genocides committed by criminals in the news on their mentally-ill states. As a society, we have created in our minds this idea of some Joker-looking, eye-twitching, drug-overdosed monster that is the “mentally-ill.”
We are also taught to judge how much our mental health issues matter based on where we come from. I am guilty of trivializing my own mental health issues, and even denying that they exist because of how comfortable my life is. I have internalized the belief that someone who claims to have mental health issues while living a life with minimal tangible struggle is in reality, just being petty. This is completely false. However, to be brutally honest, even as I type that, I don’t believe it entirely. I try every day to teach myself that my issues are real and should be dealt with as so, but it has been engrained in my brain for far too long that they are not. And so, I’m not just writing this article to reach out to others, I’m also doing it to try to help myself.
I’m in no way proud of the fact that I have mental health issues. However, I believe that I must recognize and acknowledge them as an important first step to realizing I need to reach out and get help. We should all feel unafraid to address our mental health issues. In fact, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, around 61.5 million adults in the United States alone undergo a variety of mental illnesses. This is approximately 1 in 4 adults. Given the prevalence of mental health issues here in America, it should make sense that they are discussed more, or even at all. Instead, we oftentimes hide these issues behind chipper facades. Not everyone who has a mental health issue seems like the “type of person to have a mental health issue," and the statistics prove just that.
By writing this article, I don’t expect to solve the issues of stigma surrounding mental health issues. But mental health awareness is a topic that isn’t talked about enough, nor recognized largely enough as a topic worth discussing. As the proverb goes, the first step to solving a problem is acknowledging it exists. So I hope that this piece encourages people to do their own part in ridding the stigma. Mental health issues are real, and it’s about damn time we recognize that.
I'm still a human, I just love Jesus.
Do you endure a lot of persecution as a Christian but remember when you decided you wanted to "be like Christ"?
Didn't Christ suffer persecution? Didn't he suffer people talking about him, betraying him, determined to misunderstand him, and hate him?
What we go through as Christians is empty compared to what Jesus Christ went through but I wouldn't be surprised if you went through anything like this as a Christian. The amazing part about it all is that God has already overcome the world and has a plan for it all. Please take all of these things into consideration the next time you see your Christian friends.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
Here are a few confessions I have as a Christian in college.
Janiya Winchester
So that's me on my 20th birthday.
One very annoying part about being a Christian would be the standard of perfection that people try to place upon you.
I think that it's completely unfair to put that kind of pressure on people because it's a standard we can never meet. Following God and BEING God are so far from the same thing.
I do love Jesus but I have the same access to Christ as anyone else. The things he shows me and our relationship is not something I earned by works, might, or power. I have access to him by faith and because I believe in who he is. Yes, this makes me a believer. Yes, I am saved by Christ and I accept him in my heart as my personal savior. This does not make me special but it does make me his. You have the opportunity to do the same.
lol do you get it? because he's frustra-.. no? okay
GiphyYou would be surprised the amount and THE TYPE of questions I get about sex, porn, and masturbation when someone finds out I'm celibate. I literally get asked questions as if I'm not human.
But, I am human and I have a normal sex drive. I have a natural desire for sex just like anyone else. Celibacy doesn't mean that you don't want have sex. Celibacy means that you're waiting until you're married to have sex.
With being celibate, God has taught me to pay attention to a lot of things involving sex drive, triggers, and my convictions. These are important elements for creating your boundaries. But like I said before, I am human and let me warn you now that just because you have boundaries doesn't mean that you won't deal with temptation. My boundaries really represent my defense for what I value and my defense against temptation.
Frankly... idrc ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
GiphyI completely understand that if you go into Facebook groups or that if you go into certain churches that people will condemn you left and right for fornication. Let me apologize for people condemning and judging you if you have experienced this.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5).
Please stop asking me for judgment when it's not my job to judge. That's God's job and it's completely unfair to try to place that standard on me that's impossible for me to keep and uphold.
Once again, my convictions have nothing to do with yours.
I see sin the way The word of God tells me to and I see love the way the Word of God tells me to. This means as God's daughter that I love how and who God tells me to love. This means that I'm just as human as you are and I'm not any more or less Christian or special because I'm celibate and you may not be.
What God has shown me about love is that he loves me regardless of when I disappointment, go back on my word, lie, hide from him, and more so who am I to not treat you with the same love and claim that I follow Christ? I could be wrong and I'm willing to be wrong but I feel like that's what he told me.
Lol I said what I said
Giphy@ Guys: This is very disrespectful.
When someone has decided to make this decision out of their love for God, it's very disrespectful when you make it about you. I'm aware that everyone isn't taught these things but just remember that the next time you find yourself interested in someone who has decided to wait.
If you are pursuing someone who's celibate in hopes to change their mind, please be respectful and leave them alone.
lol Yes.
I guess I could understand why people might have thought this. I wish that there were more "How To's" about this given when I was younger. I was told by a lot of older people to "wait" but I didn't get a real break down of why I should so their arguments weren't as persuasive as some friends I had about why I shouldn't wait.
After having my own experiences of what a relationship was like and some "situationships", I ended up waiting.
You can still pursue celibacy even if you have had sex, it's up to you.
My mother always encouraged me to wait and I appreciate what she was trying to do but when I was younger I had other plans.
If I'm being honest, I don't think that I really understood why I should wait. The older people in my life that were encouraging this really didn't break down to me what all of this was about so naturally, I think my friend's arguments were stronger as to why I shouldn't wait.
I ended up waiting but I went through some struggles in relationships that helped me figure out why I wanted to make this decision. I think the more rooted I grow in Christ, the harder it is to want to leave what he promised me.
One day I was really looking over my past relationship experiences and I think that's when God really tricked me into this.
Let's lift each other up, because we are not our thoughts.
Odyssey recognizes that mental well-being is a huge component of physical wellness. Our mission this month is to bring about awareness & normality to conversations around mental health from our community. Let's recognize the common symptoms and encourage the help needed without judgement or prejudice. Life's a tough journey, we are here for you and want to hear from you.
It's a topic that needs to be talked about way more than it should, especially in today's world: mental health. Whether it be anxiety, depression or O.C.D. (or anything, really), we have come to learn as a society that it's okay- and even more beneficial than you think- to openly talk about experiencing what almost everyone does inside the complex mind.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month (and also the end of finals season for college students), so what better time to list some positive affirmations to ease the mind this time of year? Just take a deep breath and read on to realize that you are enough, it will be okay and you are not your thoughts; not by a long shot.
A leaked document revealed the Supreme Court intends to vote on overturning Roe v. Wade.
When Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in by the Supreme Court, she insisted overturning Roe v. Wade wasn't on her agenda. That landmark case made it possible for pregnant people across America to legally choose whether to have an abortion. There are many reasons a person would want to terminate their pregnancy. Money, age, health and sexual assault are just some of the reasons a person would choose to get an abortion.
Some religious people, Christians in particular, oppose abortion and therefore, the right to choose. They claim to be pro-life, as if the majority of pro-choice individuals are anti-life. No decent human being is pro-abortion. It's excruciatingly painful (both emotionally and physically) for the person experiencing it. Even though there's supposed to be a separation of church and state, some don't seem to care about that.
Certain folks in the Supreme Court especially don't seem to care, since they have decided to vote on overturning Roe v. Wade. This was revealed through leaked documents, the authenticity of which was later confirmed by the Supreme Court. With a conservative majority in the Supreme Court (thanks in large part to Amy Coney Barrett replacing RBG), this doesn't look good for those who are pro-choice.
While many cite religion as their motive for being against abortion, that belief doesn't apply to all religions. In Judaism, abortion is viewed as acceptable if the pregnancy endangers the life of the carrier. What about Jewish people? Do their religious beliefs not count? Christians who cry about their freedom of religion being stripped away seek to deny other religious people that same freedom.
It makes no sense as to why people feel the need to impose their religious views onto others. As stated earlier, there's supposed to be a separation of church and state. This separation guarantees freedom of religion, not the other way around. If you're a Christian who is against abortion, choosing not to get an abortion should be enough for you. You shouldn't have to pass a law forcing everyone else to follow your religious beliefs. Nobody is forcing pregnant Christians to get abortions.
Nobody is forcing them to marry someone of the same sex, either. As you can imagine, the same cast of characters constantly complain about same-sex couples being legally allowed to marry. It's interesting that when interracial marriage was illegal, the Bible was also used as justification. Yet, nobody would dare oppose interracial marriage today and most religious folks have evolved past that. Hopefully we'll reach that stage with same-sex marriage one day. Until then, however, we must deal with cry babies throwing temper tantrums over having to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples.
These temper tantrums tend to come with a large helping of gaslighting. Justice Clarence Thomas recently spoke out after the leak to chastise people for getting upset over Supreme Court rulings. He didn't specify the Roe v. Wade issue, but broadly referred to recent events. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to decipher what he's referencing. He said that people should accept rulings they don't agree with and refrain from getting upset about them.
Aside from being condescending, this statement falsely equates mere disagreements with people having their rights stripped from them. These two scenarios are very different and getting upset about the latter is more than justified. Protesting and demanding change isn't an overreaction. Justice Thomas' words are nothing more than a pathetic, manipulative attempt to silence criticism and gaslight the American people.
What Justice Thomas and many others seem to miss is the fact that this won't stop abortion. All it will do is cause more unsafe abortions. Who knows how many people will be injured or suffer serious health detriments as a result? As of right now, people in America can have safe abortions performed by a medical professional. It's absolutely barbaric and immoral for the majority of the Supreme Court to take that away from countless American citizens.
Just because America has made progress in terms of abortion rights and marriage equality, it can still be reversed. It's been speculated that overturning same-sex marriage is another item on the Supreme Court's agenda. We must not allow ourselves to be gaslit. We must speak up about these issues. We must vote and take action in whatever way we can. As corny as it may sound, the American people have the power and we can stop our country from regressing. In order for that to happen, we must not give up and keep fighting the good fight.
Songs About Being 17
Grey's Anatomy Quotes
Vine Quotes
4 Leaf Clover
Self Respect
1. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society
2. Radhi, SUNY Stony Brook
3. Kristen Haddox, Penn State University
4. Jennifer Kustanovich, SUNY Stony Brook
5. Clare Regelbrugge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign