Today, the world feels different. It's gray and cloudy. Everyone is quiet, everyone is tired. I've spent most of my day in bed. I've had an inappropriate amount of chocolate milk. I've cried more times than I'm willing to admit. I wore my slippers to class. All I want is a few cupcakes. My heart hurts.

You might feel sad today. That's OK. Take a few deep breaths. Recalibrate. Take a nap if you need one. No one will fault you for taking some time off to collect yourself. Breathe some more. Take care of yourself. Talk about if you need to, lock your door if you don't. Send a text to your loved ones. Put yourself first today.

You might feel angry today. That's OK. Remember to keep breathing. Scream into a pillow. Punch something (preferably something soft). It's healthy. Go for a walk. Clear your head. Call someone you trust and ask if they'll just listen to you vent for a few minutes. Find something productive you can do with your anger. You're not alone.

You might feel scared today. That's OK. Remind those around you that they're not alone. Smile if you can. Hold open a door for someone. You're not the only one who is scared. Band together with others. Stand together. Do what you need to do to feel safe.

You might feel lost today. That's OK. Find a teacher or faculty member at your school or university who can help you make sense of things. Find a friend who feels the same way and work through your feelings together. We're all a little lost. Allow yourself some time to make sense of what has happened.

You might feel numb today. That's OK. Go through the motions as usual. Go to class. Remember to eat. Don't deviate too much from your routine. Don't let yourself fall into a black hole. The sun will come up, the world will still spin. Remember to take care of yourself. You will be OK.

You might feel alone today. That's OK. You might live in a place in which people feel differently than you do. You might not share the same views as anyone around you. That's hard. Find a safe place. Find somewhere you can feel comfortable. You are not the only one who doesn't know what to do next. We'll all figure this out together.

Last night, I watched election coverage with a large group of my peers between the ages of 18 and 22. All but a few of us voted in this year's election.

When it became clear who would win, we all fell silent. This is not the future we want. This is not the future we voted for.

I cried on the floor in the arms of my friends. I have friends who didn't sleep last night, and some, like me, who barely slept at all. We held hands and exchanged encouraging words and watched as our fate was sealed for us. Looking at us from a distance, you would think that some kind of natural disaster had just occurred.

The shock will wear off. Slowly, things will go back to normal. We will not stop fighting. We will make our voices heard. Together, we will make waves. We have lost this battle, but we still have a war ahead of us. Let's move forward.