Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of articles are playing around with the idea that this semester, or life, has gotten the best of you. Don’t get me wrong, I read them too and I most definitely laugh along and relate. But it got me to thinking about the way we let those articles diminish our self confidence. By accepting the “fact” that it is normal and okay to feel as if our life is spiraling out of control, we are weakening the certainty we have in our own ability to handle what life throws at us. At this stage of the game, we are already inclined to feel that way enough on our own without the help of negative, though hilarious, memes from our favorite shows, demonstrating all the ways we’re “failing” at life. So I’ve decided to take a positive spin on the things that we do everyday, because college is hard and we work tirelessly to survive this crazy thing called life. It’s time we give ourself the credit we deserve. So, here it is: Eight signs that you are doing better than you think you are.

You got up.

Yeah, it might have taken some effort. You may have set 400 alarms and you probably didn’t take the time to look like a Kardashian before heading to class, but you did it nonetheless. You prioritized going to class, or work, or waking up to get things done. You recognized that there is some life out there, and you were brave enough to go live it; and that means you’re doing better than you think.

You stepped away from the mirror.

Odds are after you got out of bed you started some form of a routine. Like washing your face and getting dressed, and even if you didn’t have time for all of that I hope you brushed your teeth before running out of the room. No matter how long, or short, your morning routine is, it involved a glance in the mirror. I know that for a heart in despair, a glance in the mirror can be one of the hardest things ever. You notice the bags under your eyes, the defeat in your demeanor, the stress in your shoulders, and the worry in your smile. But you my friend walked away anyway. You didn’t let the unknown of the day or your previous stress shy you away from leaving. You conquered that demon, and that means you’re doing better than you think.

You smiled.

Whether it was because you saw a funny post, a cute puppy or read a text from your best friend from the night before, I promise that at some point today you’ve smiled. That itself lets you know you’ve got something to live for. Taking the incentive to be happy is invaluable, and you my friend did it. That means you’re doing better than you think.

You made someone else smile.

It was the boy in biology who giggled when you tripped up the steps to your seat. It was the sorority sister you waved at on the concourse. It was the friend that received your awfully unattractive snapchat. The thing about making others happy, is that you usually don’t know when you’ve done it, but I promise you have. You’ve single handedly brightened someone’s day and that means you’re doing better than you think!

You learned.

The name of a friend of a friend. The integral of cosine. The species of that weird lady bug crawling around in the grass somewhere. Whatever happened to your favorite TV show character after the cliffhanger you were left on last week. You’ve grown and blossomed in some way today, even if it was miniscule. Some wise man once said, “A day without learning something new is a day wasted.” Even if it was unintentional, you did not let today go to waste and that my friend means you’re doing better than you think you are.

You have time on your hands.

Yeah, you probably don’t spend it as wisely as you should. You probably should have studied instead of watching Netflix, read emails instead of online shopped, and you probably should have gone to office hours instead of grabbing fro-yo with a friend, but you have time. Time to do whatever you want, and some less fortunate people didn’t get that opportunity today. But, you did and that means you’re doing better than you think you are.

You have people in your life.

At some point everyone in your life is going to aggravate you: your mom, your best friend, your brother, your boyfriend, your teacher. It happens and it would be unrealistic to think that you’re going to love everyone all the time. The point is that you have people to be aggravated with. Despite all your stress and your mood swings, you have people that are willing to put up with it. You’ve got friends that text you way too much and pressure you to go out when you really need to study. You’ve got a family member who calls you 500 times a week to check in. You have people in your life that care for you and that you care for, and that means you’re doing better than you think you are.

You have yourself.

Yeah, you may be scatter-brained. You might not have brushed your hair yet, and it make be two in the afternoon and you’re still in bed. But you are beautifully and wonderfully made and there is no one out there like you. Your smile is unique to your awesome personality and no one and no bad day/week/semester can change that. You may be having a rough patch, but you are not having a rough life. You my friend are doing much much better than you think you are.