I have recently turned 20 years old; my life is just beginning. I am perfectly aware that it is going to get extremely difficult as I get older, and that what I am going through right now will be something I will one day look back at and think to myself, "Wow, I was really worried and anxious over nothing!"

But today is not that day.

Again, I am still young, but this is the age where we are supposed to realize who we are as a person. We're supposed to realize who and what we need, and how we should handle things in order to take care of ourselves.

But... We meet that special person who we fall head over heels for but then we get crushed and panic because we think we are never going to find anyone else. We go through drama at work and realize we have no idea what we are going to do with our lives. We struggle with school and debate dropping out because the assignments are piling and piling up.

"How am I supposed to figure myself out when I have all of this shit going on???" is a question I ask myself at least three times a day, and I know I'm not alone in that. I wish I had the answer, but honestly I don't think any of us do. Regardless of your age or education level or income, let's face it; we all have no idea what the fuck we're doing.

But what I do know is that all of the stressors in our lives (relationship issues, work drama, school intensity, whatever else you have going on) is all a test. Stress is a test for us to see what we are made of, how much we can fit on our plate. Sometimes it's going to become a little too much and break us a little, and that's okay!

But what isn't okay is what some of us do about that stress.

If we don't do anything to change it, then we have no right to complain about it over and over. Stop bothering your roommate about the douche who keeps breaking your heart. You don't need that. Stop complaining about your jerk boss(es) at work and repeatedly saying you're going to quit but continue to find no other job. You don't need that. Stop leaving your assignments to the last minute and then freak out about how much homework you have to do. You don't need that.

I want to make something clear; I am not suggesting that you stop all of these things because they are annoying to me or other people. I am giving you this advice simply because, if you haven't gotten the message by now, you don't need it. We make things so much harder for ourselves than they need to be and, I know I have no right to speak for those of you reading this but, I think the fear of being truly independent is what causes this.

A while ago I saw the movie "How to be Single" starring Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson, and I was very much prepared to see a whole bunch of partying, drugs, and meaningless sex. Not that I was wrong, there is plenty of all that for a bit. But the movie ends with the main character alone on New Year's Eve - something that society has imprinted on our minds as a tragedy - but was completely satisfied with herself, unlike myself and plenty of other people in this world.

Am I saying to go out and dump your partner right now? No, absolutely not. I'm saying that no matter what, we are all strong enough to be on our own. We just don't see it. We may need help seeing it, and that's what I believe the stressors are for.

So just breathe, you can do this. Whatever it is that you are so worried about right now, may not even matter in five years. Set your priorities straight and take care of yourself. If you work hard enough on that, it will all work out :)