This year has been a complete whirlwind for me. I've had many ups and many downs. I've lost people, I've met new friends, and I've cut ties with old friends. Even though I'm completely terrified of change, I believe that I, myself, did a lot of growing up this year. I've learned many new things. I've had real-life experiences occur. I've made decisions that I never thought I would have to make. However, after this year, some of the things I've done were extremely beneficial to my mental health but most importantly, my life.

1. I learned to laugh at the stupid things.

I laughed at the pointless drama that would've gotten to me before. I laughed at stupid things, I laughed at funny things. I just laughed. When you make the most out of a tough situation, it comes into perspective what matters and what really doesn't. Once you learn to laugh at the stuff that doesn't matter, life becomes a lot easier and you become a lot less stressed.

2. I became guarded, which isn't a bad thing.

After losing friends that I thought I couldn't live without, I became extremely guarded. I've had trust issues with the people I let in my life since then. However, I'm a firm believer that having your guard up against people makes you a stronger person. It isn't a sign of weakness. If you let people walk all over you from the start, you start living your life to please them and not yourself.

3. I learned to love myself.

My eighth-grade school teacher shared this advice with the girls of my graduating class and every day I kick myself for not following it sooner. When I learned to love myself, honestly, I learned how to not take other people's bullshit. Once you learn your self-worth, you learn what you can and cannot tolerate from other people. I'm grateful I was finally able to realize what I deserve and to never settle for anything less.

4. I realized it's not a perfect life.

This year has been a complete whirlwind for me. I've had ups, I've had downs, and I've had days in between. I've realized that life can be pretty shitty. I've realized that God takes good people away. I've realized that people aren't always how they claim to be. I've been lied to. I've been heartbroken. I've been happy. However, we're all human. There are days that are going to be tough. Nobody's life is perfect, everyone's struggling with something in their own way. However, I've realized that their just bad days, and it's not a bad life.

Realizing that nothing is guaranteed in life has taught me so much. Experiencing the tragedy of my dad passing away has opened my eyes to what's important and what's not and also who's important and who's not. Letting go of people's pointless drama and bullshit has benefited my life tremendously. I live as if tomorrow is not guaranteed, I tell the people I love that I love them, I hug them a little longer, and I laugh a little louder. I've learned to be honest, to be real, to say how I'm feeling and to not hold anything back. Life is too short to spend your days anything but happy and I'm beyond thankful that I realized that at the age of 19 when people who are older than me still don't realize it.