I know life gets hard sometimes. I know there are days when you feel like are standing in the eye of a hurricane and there’s nothing you can do to find a way out. I know there are times when you feel like you’re lost in the big vast sea and the shore is nowhere to be found. I know it feels like you will never make it out of the darkness. I know it feels like you won’t survive.

There are going to be days when the whys will break you and leave you searching for answers that are not there. And it’s right there when you are at your lowest low, when are you seeing your entire world fall apart before your eyes when you begin to wonder what the point to all of this is. You keep asking yourself each day why it hurts so much; why life has to feel so heavy on your shoulders.

I don’t know the answer to that, but this I can tell you, it’s going to be okay. Probably not the kind of okay you had in mind, but you’ll survive. It’s going to be a long, hard road but eventually, you’ll thrive. Trust me, somehow, you will. Someone very wise once told me, “It is an ending, but it’s not the end.”

I know it’s hard right now, but hang in there. Because I promise that one day, not too far from today, the air you breathe won’t feel like fire entering your lungs anymore.

Remember who you once were – before the pain, heartache and disappointments; before all the lies and empty words. Who were you? Were you someone sweet? Were you the type of person who woke up with a smile? Did you hum to yourself at work? Did you always see the silver lining?

I know that person seems like a stranger now, but you are still that person. Deep down inside, you are still who you used to be. Go back. Better yourself. You have so much to offer the world. Don’t be afraid.

I know you feel hopeless right now. You’ve had to let go of something so important to you, and your feelings are justified. You feel that you’ll never be happy again, or that you’ll never be able to love again. Honey, that’s alright. But keep this in mind; there are still so many things to be experienced, so many places to go and so many other dreams to chase. Take your time but don’t shut yourself out completely. Be cautious, be scared; but also give yourself a chance to be happy. After all you’ve been through, you deserve that much.

If you wake up and the world seems too heavy, then allow yourself to feel its weight. Cry if you must. Feel the entirety of your emotions, but also be in control of them. Sooner or later, the pain will stop. Just hold on. Take every day one step at a time.

And most importantly, love yourself. It doesn’t matter what other people did to you, or what they told you. They don’t know you. They can’t see the heart inside of you; the heart I know is pure and kind. Be in awe of who you are, and who you are becoming. Love your smile and the way you laugh. Love your awkwardness. Love every breath you take. Love yourself so much that others won’t be able to make you feel small and unwanted. Love every flaw, every weakness and strive to be the best version of yourself, not for others, but for you. You are not an inconvenience. You are worth it.

One day you will only see this dark moment as a lesson. A distant memory that doesn’t weigh you down like it used to. Yes, you’ll have some scars but they won’t hurt. They will just be there to remind you that you survived every single battle you thought you couldn’t and that you are stronger than you’ve ever been in your entire life.

One day you will wake up wrapped in that warm cozy feeling that for the first time in a very long time, everything is okay. You will realize that you don’t break as much as you used to, and for once, you will be there, with nowhere to run to and nowhere to escape from, because for some strange but beautiful reason you just know you’re exactly where you are meant to be. And that day you’ll come to terms with the fact that in the end, it was everything that made us fall that taught us how to fly.

Link to Article on Elephant Journal

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