For a big part of my life, I have heard that giving up is not a good option. We are all often told to power through and stick with the decision that we make. Even though it is relatively a good idea to stick to our decisions and follow through, it sometimes is not the best option.

Giving up can sometimes be the best thing that you can do in a situation. In high school, I had to quit swim team my senior year because I was sick for months and would not get better. I looked and felt like a quitter, but I knew that I would just get worse and probably end up with pneumonia if I didn't stop.

I also switched from the IB English class to the college prep English class that year as well. I was a little shocked that I had the guts to do it only a few weeks into the year, but it turned out to be the best decision that I ever made so that I could focus on my mental health more.

Sometimes giving up is a blessing. When I joined my church I chose to give up coffee, tea, alcohol and using bad language. The church wasn't forcing me to do so (contrary to popular belief), but I chose to give up these things because it was the best thing for me to do and I have received so many blessings because of it.

I have been a quitter in college and after one semester I gave up my dream of going to the commerce school here at UVa. This was a huge obstacle and a major change in my life because most of my life the commerce school was my plan and I suddenly went in a totally different direction. I felt awful for giving up that quickly, but I am so thankful that I did because I now have a major that I actually love and have an internship at a television station that I am really looking forward to.

In the moment, I hated myself for giving up and "taking the easy way out" in some of these situations, but I didn't simply give up. Instead of living a life that I hated, I chose to act on my feelings and I chose something different. I chose to give myself the life that I wanted. I chose to change the direction of my future because I wanted to do something that I loved.

Instead of telling yourself that you have given up, tell yourself that you just choose to take your life into your own hands.