Whether you have a diagnosed mental illness, you’re stressed about classes, you’re having roommate problems, or you’ve just gone through a breakup, sometimes you just end up in a slump. I prefer to use the word “slump” over any other word because “slump” is typically used in a temporary sense—and that’s what we need to always remember that that’s what sadness is: temporary.

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve always been a typically pessimistic person.

“It’s not going to get better.”

“There’s no point in trying.”

“I don’t care.”

But I was in a slump; I was pushing my friends away, I stopped writing articles, I was having relationship issues, class struggles, and family health concerns. You name it, I was going through it. The totally classic stuff. All at once. Real annoying. But for the first time since I can remember, I decided that I’m not going to be pessimistic this time. I’m going to care.

Spring break rolled around. That’s supposed to be a relaxing time, but my friend group didn’t really make plans to travel, so it became a wildcard-style week. I do go to school in Florida (#ILiveWhereYouVacation lol) so I wasn’t worried about it. We could go to the beach, the pool, the springs a few hours away, go camping, go downtown, etc. But then I started having some issues with some friends and I found myself staying in my room a lot. It was spring break and 80 degrees, we have a pool on campus barely a three-minute walk from my dorm, and I was staying in bed watching Netflix. Our campus gym was closed for renovations the entire week, and I don’t have a car here, so I felt stuck. I felt stuck, alone, bored, exhausted even though I’d been sleeping nonstop, the flights home were way too expensive last minute, and I was falling into a slump.

I am at a point in my life where being in a slump is not an option. I do not want to be limited to the blankets on my bed for comfort and solitude. I want to be out at the pool, I want to be working out, I want to be hanging out with my friends, and I want to be smiling.

And suddenly, it was simple as that.

That’s exactly what I did.

After a long night of crying and whining about how nobody likes me, blah blah blah, I have no friends, blah blah blah, I woke up and decided to get my shit together. I hit up a few people I normally wouldn’t have thought to hang out with, and we made pool plans. It took me two hours just to get out of bed even after the pool plans were set in stone, but I did it. I went to the pool.

It may sound pathetic to those who don’t really understand what it’s like to feel depressed, or slumped. It may sound pathetic that I was genuinely proud of myself for getting out of bed and going to the pool, but that’s okay. Consider it pathetic if you must.

I got out of my slump. I started to hang out with new people, I made tons of new friends, I had an incredible end to my spring break. All because I stopped wallowing in my own sadness, got out of bed, and decided to exert positive energy instead of the negative energy I so often resorted to depending on.

The other night a boy said to me, “you choose what to give a fuck about.” I am feeding off of this. I am finally choosing what I am going to care about. I am not going to sit in my room and feel isolated and care about petty drama I don’t need to deal with. I am going to focus on my own happiness, my family’s health, working out, getting a summer job, and for the first time in awhile...doing what is best for me. I will not slump. I will not give in to the demons pulling me back into bed.

Here's me straight outta my slump.