Break-ups are never easy, and anyone who says they are is lying. After breaking up with my boyfriend of a year and a half last summer, I plummeted into one of the undoubtedly worst phases of my young adult life. Despite the constant reminders from my friends and family that I was "better off," I could not see an end in sight. The first couple months were absolutely miserable, but with life keeping me on my toes, I found each day getting a little easier.

Looking back on it, I think I actually could have gotten "over it" faster had I just let myself be sad. So often I found myself suppressing, afraid of seeming to over-dramatic. I think the biggest thing to keep in mind when going through a tough breakup is that it is okay to be sad, and it is okay to cry, and it is okay to be mad. That person was such an integral part of your daily life, and now, they're gone.

In a way, a breakup is like a death.

And similar to a death, I think the phrase "time heals all wounds" is the most annoying, yet accurate, of them all. I think if one more person had told me that over the course of the last year, I would have gone insane.

As much as I hate to admit it, they were right.

I'm not sure when it happened. Somewhere among the days, the constant stream of thoughts stopped, and the tears were nowhere to be found. I've had the most amazing support system this entire year to help build me back up. From friends and family to school and work and activities that take up nearly all of my time, I can't imagine a better way to spend my time. I'm taking the time to do the things I enjoy with the people I care about.

This time has been about me and only me.

I've learned a lot about myself in this time. I've learned that it's okay to be alone and you don't always have to be surrounded by others. I've learned that sometimes you have to say no. It is not hard to get overwhelmed because of the innumerable amount of opportunities around you, but I've learned to prioritize the things that are the most important to me.

However, I think that the greatest and most beneficial lesson I have learned is that I cannot please everyone. Sometimes I have to put myself first, even if that means that I might hurt someone else or make them mad; not everyone is going to agree with me. Truth is if they can't recognize that I need to put myself first, they don't deserve to be in my life anyway.

For so long I was worried what people thought of me and how they would react to the choices I made, but the reality is that it simply does not matter. The only thing that matters is that I'm happy and that I am doing my best to be a good person. Just because a handful of people do not like me, that does not define me as a person.

I am happy, I am healthy, and I am living my best life.