To: The People Who Have Lost Hope
From: A Friend Who Is Still Fighting
“Many years have passed and I’m still learning from every experience life has thrown at me.” This sentence is the key point I want to highlight in this letter, so please keep this in mind. I’m not a person who usually writes about things that are hard to explain when it comes to the human mind, but I believe some things need to be said or else it will consume us emotionally.
I know how it feels to feel lost; to feel that nothing makes sense anymore and to wonder your purpose in life. I know how it feels to wake up every morning feeling the lack of motivation to do anything in your daily life. I know how our life experiences change and shape us to be the person we are today, and I know how sometimes these don’t shape us in a positive way.
The thing with life is that no matter how much we try, we can never truly know the outcome of every event or experience we undertake, so we have to take risks and hope for the best. Hope is a strong word that has a heavy meaning to it, because it is something we all hang on to at the end of the day. We hope that tomorrow will be better than today. We hope everything will work out at the end. And we hope that someday, we will finally feel okay.
The truth is, things will never change until we make them change. We will never feel okay, until we decide to think differently. I had to learn these things the hard way and it took me a while to understand this. Let me explain: there was a time where I couldn’t live with myself anymore. I didn’t love myself enough and, if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to. It took a lot of therapy and time to actually realize the things I was doing wrong. I’m not saying this is an easy thing to do because, believe me, I know it’s not, but it’s the little steps we take to better ourselves that really make a change in our lives.
To all of the people who have lost hope, I understand you. I’ve been you and I’m still fighting to be a better version of myself than I was yesterday. Never believe that you are worthless, don’t believe negative things people have said, and never lower yourself down from the high place you should belong in. Never feel like your problems are meaningless just because society has made you believe that you don’t have a right to feel how you feel because other people have it worst. Everyone is different, and every person is fighting a different battle. We all need kindness and understanding.
People don’t realize that sometimes a smile can change everything. A simple smile from a stranger on a bad day can mean the world to someone, so be kind to each other. What I’m trying to say is, don’t give up. Things will change for the better, everything is temporary, and feelings can change with time. Life won’t always feel like a dark place, and there are people who have surpassed this state of mind and have improved their lifestyle in general. If they can do it, why can’t you? We are who we choose to be. Choose to be the best you and all of the things you can bring to this life.
I’m still learning from every experience life has thrown at me and you can too. Learn and be a better version of yourself always. If you need to talk to someone, never hesitate, there are always people in our lives who are willing to be there for us. If you need to cry, do so; you will feel a sense of relief when you’re done. Just keep fighting your way through life until you find your happiness, as it’ll be worth the journey and you will remember these words and be thankful that you didn’t give up on the potential life that is waiting for you ahead.
With Love,
Dalyz Melendez
In light of Suicide Awareness Week, we will provide our readers with articles displaying narratives of thought, self-reflection, and the reality of the emotions, actions, and struggles we face as students but don’t often discuss. If you or a loved one are going through a difficult time, you’re not alone.
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