This article has been a long time coming, and I apologize for that. I felt like I needed to take a step back from all of my social commitments so I could just really press in hard academically and finish out the semester strong. Despite it being a struggle, I am actually very appreciative of the time I had away. Not only did it give me more time to actually appreciate my social commitments, but it also gave me time to appreciate me. I know that may sound strange, but I am being totally serious. Being away has brought me full circle. Heck, this entire semester has brought me full circle! I can talk more about that all day long, but this article is about moving forward.

I began the entire Jenny Series with intentions of going through a process, of about a month tops, of writing, thinking, analyzing where I was in life, and moving on from the past. If you had asked me a month ago about this “Jenny Series”, I would have given you some depressed answer about how I just wanted to give up on life, at that point. I have felt excessively low the majority of this semester. By low I mean I was swimming in the dumpster. Get it? Down in the dumps. Swimming in the dumpster. Okay, I don’t care what you say, that was funny!

I have realized something in these last few months. Sometimes, in order to move on, you need to accept and deal with what already is. This is going to be a really strange and gross analogy but bear with me… Okay, life can be kind of like a really big zit, or maybe, a cist. I told you it was weird, just stay with me! Stuff happens in life, right? Really bad stuff. Sometimes we cause the stuff, and other times the stuff just gets thrown at our face. If we do not face the stuff head on, then, it will begin to build up and up and up. Eventually, you will have this huge pile of really disgusting stuff from your past that you have not dealt with that is just simply hindering you from moving forward. Just like that really big zit on your face that is scaring you about going out on a date with that cutie you met at Starbucks the other day. The only way to focus on the future is to face the fear of the past.

I know it is hard, trust me I do. It may, in fact, be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do in your life. However, I assure you that not being able to accomplish the goals you want because of something holding you back is surely much more painful than actually dealing with the problems themselves. I don’t know who you are, what you have been through, what you are going through now, or what you will go through, but what I do know is that you have the ability and the resources to deal with the problems, even if you do not think you do. Phone a friend. Go talk to a professional. Heck, watch a funny video on YouTube (I doubt this will solve your problems, but hey, it is worth a try). DO whatever you believe you need to do to deal with your past hurts and move on with your life.

I warn you though, it will be very easy to mask the past rather than actually facing it. This mask, you can buy it at the store called “Denial”. Pretending like your problems are not there will not make them disappear. I know, I’ve tried, countless times. This mask? It comes in many colors and styles. Alcohol, drugs, sex, partying, studying, social media, a club, a sport, a hobby in general, a significant other, an obsession with food, something terrible, or even something great. You pick the one that best fits you. All of these things listed above can be great, but all of them can also be detrimental to your well-being, if you are not careful. It can be dangerously easy to use something that seems good for you, or just innocent fun, to cover up the truth, and to ultimately just distract you from problems that will come back up later in life and haunt you.

I encourage you today, friends, to deal with your junk. Rip the band aid, start the engine, fly the plane, pop that zit!! Whatever phrase you want to pick is fine because they all have the same meaning. That meaning being to get up and do something for yourself. I promise it won’t happen overnight, but I also promise it will be totally worth it, in the end, and it will feel like a breath of fresh air. Get ready to breathe.