Dear Me,

I know things have been rough lately and you feel like there is no one around you who understands. I know it’s hard to grasp just how you feel. Sometimes you want to cry. Yet you put on a fake smile and hide it with a laugh. But it is okay to not be okay sometimes. Life throws us curveballs -- it puts us in places we did not think we would ever see and into sticky situations where all we can think is, “why me?” It’s you because you are strong enough; you can get through it.

As Hannah Montana says, “everybody has those days.” It is okay for you too to have those rough days. Life is definitely not easy, but it’s not to break you; it’s to make you stronger.

Stop overthinking and overanalyzing every little detail. It will make you miserable and you will miss out on the bigger adventures in life. The people around you might not understand how you feel, but they are there for you and they do care. Don’t push them away because you want to come across as strong. Your problems might seem minimal. They might seem like something to brush under the rug, but avoiding them isn’t going to make you feel any better. Stop trying to act strong on the exterior when you are shattering into a million pieces on the inside. It is not worth it because it is not going to get you any better.

Let yourself cry because holding those tears in won’t help you at all. It is okay to cry! You aren’t broken. You aren’t weak. You aren’t alone and you can do this. Tomorrow is a new day and there is always hope.

Stop letting yesterday’s negativity ruin today’s fun. Go out and do things! Live your life, don’t just survive or exist. When you are old and senile, you aren’t going to remember the days that you stayed inside and you were bored and moping around, you are going to remember the exciting adventures and hilarious moments that you shared with your family and friends.

I promise that when it feels like the world is crashing down around you, there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. You might cry yourself to sleep many nights. You might feel like you are a burden on your friends every time you go to them. But it’s all okay. You are going to fall before you can fly. You’re going to hit rock bottom before you climb that mountain. I know it isn’t what you want to hear, but that is life and you need to just let it take you.

It is okay to admit that you are having a bad day or that something is just not right. Talk to the people around you, they care and are there for you. Sometimes, our situations are too extraneous for others to understand, but if they are trying to help you, don’t get irritated with them, be happy that they care. Be appreciative that you have such wonderful, caring, loving people in your life.

We all have stress, we all have to do things we don’t want to. It is okay to feel stressed, it just can’t knock you down. Stop worrying about your future and not being where you want to be at the moment; great things take time. You are stronger than that. Make the best out of your days, as they are not unlimited. Love yourself with all of your might and take care of yourself, because if you don’t, who will? You are your own best friend, but also your own worst enemy.

Sometimes you have to feel worse to feel better. Sometimes it will seem as though the entire world is against you, but it’s not. You might feel abandoned, hopeless and alone, but you aren’t. Just because you are having a bad day doesn’t mean it’s the end. Tomorrow is a new day.

It is okay to not always be okay, but it is not okay to not do anything to help yourself. Storms don’t last forever.

Love,

Me