You WILL be ok.

This statement never truly meant something to be until recently.

Growing up in high school, I was always a happy teenager. I had a boyfriend, I was actively involved in sports, I had great grades. I never experienced teenage depression, like others could have during the chaotic high school years. Life was great.

I was naive to think it would last forever.

Lots of changes occurred in my life during the past year of school, and it was the first time my life was never OK. Change soon became my worst nightmare.

It seemed as though my life had done a complete 360. I thought I had lost my friends, I was no longer in a relationship, my grades weren’t great. I didn’t know how to confront these sudden changes, except shut down.

Because of this, I began to doubt myself and my confidence.

I would turn to my friends and family and they would just keep saying, you WILL be okay. It’s hard to believe those four words from someone else. The only way you begin to believe them is when you, yourself, stand back up and just keep going.

Accept those changes in your life, and just keep freaking going. It IS okay to not be okay. It IS okay to cry and be upset. It IS okay to take a breath.

These are all inevitable parts of life everyone experiences. You will not be remembered by others by how hard you cry or how upset you get. You will be remembered by how YOU choose to get back up and keep going.

Throughout these last couple of months, I had to take a step back and really figure out what I needed to do to be happy again. So far, I am focusing on these five ideas:

1. Find your people

every person has that one friend, or possibly group of friends, that you turn to for everything. Keep them close. We all need a support system.

2. Focus on school, or whatever path you are aspiring to be a part of

There is always a bigger picture to look at. For me, aspiring to finish college and start my career is a huge motivator. Do not lose sight of your goals and aspirations over something that won’t matter in 10, 5, or even 1 year from now.

3. Do one thing for yourself every day

We all need some time for ourselves. Read a book, watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy, take a nap. Show yourself a little love!

4. NEVER forget your self-worth

This can be where the looking at yourself in the mirror cliché comes in to play.

Personally, I started listening to others when they would try and remind me. My dad recently told me, “Don’t let any boy treat you any less than the queen that you are”. Every girl deserves this!

5. You do not need anyone to be happy

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE ONES IN THE BACK. The biggest thing I have realized is that you need to happy with yourself before you can be happy with anyone else. You need to love yourself before you can love another person.

So, to my women struggling right now: it IS okay to not be okay. It does not matter how hard you cry or how upset you get. It matters how you choose to glue yourself back together and keep going.