Far too many times have I been freaking out, running around, crying and stressing over every aspect of my life. 

What will my outfit be for tomorrow?

Will I be able to squeeze in a few hours of sleep tonight?

Did I fail that test? 

Can I raise my class rank?

What will I do in college?

Will I be successful?

I am hardly alone in this as everyone else seems to be worrying about these same issues and even more specific situations they might be going through – my closest friends are dealing with relationship problems and stressing about grades and class rank. But, for the past few months, I’ve adopted the mindset that in the end, it will all work out, and everything will be OK. 

I try not to beat myself up when I don’t meet expectations, and understand that it’s OK to be disappointed, but cursing yourself and thinking your downfall starts at that very moment is unhealthy and can lead to bad coping habits. In the past few years, I have indulged in unhealthy eating habits. I sat down fewer for meals, with portion sizes significantly increasing each time I ate. I would go out for a milkshake every day after school and start to rummage through my fridge in the afternoon. Food has always been there for me, long before I abandoned diapers, and its comfort drowns out the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing if everything in my life will work out for me. I have identified my problem and have started to correct it by first changing my mindset. 

To everyone who is questioning the severity of their situation and dealing with their emotions in a negative way, I promise it won’t be like this forever. Think of that test you were stressing about three years ago, the one you got a 70% on and spent the rest of your day crying and beating yourself up over as you thought how much of a failure you were. But, yet, here I am writing this story and you, reading this article — still standing and a better person than we were then. 

The same goes for other situations in your life: job opportunities, relationships, plans for the future and education. What you thought for a period of time would be the end of the world for you and dragged you to dark places has actually molded you into the person you are today. It’s OK to be hurt, it’s OK to be sad and it’s OK to feel the way you do. But, in the end, those experiences and emotions didn’t last forever, did they? 

And if they still haunt you, that calls for a deeper connection between your mind and your heart that only you can overcome. Because, in the end, you’ll still become successful, you’ll improve at what you want, you’ll reconnect and find new people who fulfill you – you’ll heal, stand and walk forward stronger than before. All it takes is time, dealing with those situations in a healthy way and trusting that everything will be OK. 

A little bit of stress and sadness in life is fine. However, remember that the walk of life constantly evolves, loops and extends. We’ll get to where we want to be as we only need to keep walking forward, seeing where it will take us and believing that everything will be OK.