A lot has changed in the past eight months and it’s been one of the hardest times of my life. From going away to college, to moving out of my childhood home, life hasn’t been giving me my highest points.

I understand that things change and we have to adapt to that, but to be frank, I hate change.

For a long time, my life has been stuck in the same cycle and I learned to accept that. But then I had to focus on applying to colleges and doing well on the ACT and trying harder than ever in school. Yet, I kept my mentality in the same negative, pessimistic state.

Even when I graduated from high school, a place I thought I’d never make it out of. Even when I packed up and went to the college I dreamt about getting into. Even when I had made some of the best friends who made going to college so hard.

Life around me changed, but in my head, it did not.

Accepting change in things you’ve grown accustomed to is a complicated task. Some people welcome change with open arms while others hide and hope that the change won’t realize they’re there. It always finds a way to get to you, though.

No matter how hard it is, you have to realize that change is inevitable, and sometimes it can be for the better. This is something I wish was easier for me to accept and understand. Even coming to terms with why change is so unsettling feels like an impossible feat.

I wish I had some awe-inspiring advice to write out or give a personal example of how I have accepted change, but I don’t. And that’s reality. Not every bump you encounter will smooth out quickly or go away on its own.

Some things you have to face head-on, even though you don’t even know where to begin, which can be the hardest part because it can make you feel helpless.

After the past few months, I’ve been telling myself that I need to accept change and adapt to it. The next couple of years are going to be filled with challenges that I’ll have to accept. Like I said, there are some things that I won’t know how to even begin to tackle, but I’m comforted by a quote from a brilliant man.

Stephen Hawking said “And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you just don’t give up.”