The first few months of the year are always difficult for me. It's cold, I'm dealing with holiday weight-gain, it's just not the best time of year. It is a perfect breeding ground for depression and self-doubt to fester and take control of my endeavors and efforts. But it's my second year of college and I can't let it take control of me. So here's a few things I've been having to tell myself to keep those negative thoughts and habits away from my mind.

I've come so far. I very well know that I mention this in nearly every single one of my articles, but a constant reminder is needed so that I don't fall into a pit of despair like I usually do. Are there people that are better off than me? Yes. But many people don't know how to make lemonade out of lemons as well as I do. It may not be the sweetest lemonade, but it isn't the sourest either. This lemonade that I've learned how to make is good enough to sustain me and keep me going. So I can't forget from whence I've come, so that I know it's only gonna get better the longer and longer I go. So I've gotta keep going.

In one of my favorite movies Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy's character has a line that really resonates with me. In the scene, Kristen Wiig's character is moping about how everything that she's tried to do hasn't worked out. Melissa's character exercises tough love and tells her, "you've got to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Because I do not associate with people who blame the world for their problems. Because you're your problem, but you're also your solution." I've tried a lot of things and fallen flat on my face. I know what it's like to be victorious, but I also know what it's like to fail. With knowledge of both of them, I have a fear of failure. Who doesn't have a little bit of a fear of failure? When you're climbing up a mountain, you can either keep going forward or start falling down a little bit.

But here's the thing. For the most part, I believe that you have a say in whether you keep going or fall down. Sometimes you really will fall down no matter what you do and that is okay. But you have a 100% freedom to choose to get back up or stay down. Sometimes it's necessary to stay down, to recover. But you can't stay down forever. I can't stay down forever. And I'm not saying I'm failing right now, but there's plenty of time to do so. That sounds pessimistic but it's true. I don't know what the future holds. But I'm gonna keep fighting. I have to.