On New Year’s Eve, I became a single lady once again for the first time in over two years. I was full of sadness, confusion and anger. When I first thought about writing this article, I thought about letting my feelings fly and writing about the overwhelming negative emotions that I was feeling, and wanted to fight for myself, but I realized that in the end, that would not help me in the slightest. What I needed to do was put myself first. To be happy, and find my next step. What I needed to do was move on.
We have all had to move on from something, a school, friend, job, relationship, city, you name it. At some point you will have to face a new beginning, which can be very difficult, but what is even more troublesome, is finding a healthy way to cope with change.
The first step to moving on is determining where you are now. You won’t be able to move forward without knowing where you stand. If you are sad, lost, or alone, that’s okay. And if you are aware of it, you can find a solution to help. If you are happy, excited and hopeful, that’s okay too, but find out what makes you feel that way. The most important part to find out where you are, is to allow yourself to feel your emotions.
Let your emotions guide you in a healthy way. Don’t let someone try and tell you how you should or shouldn’t feel when you are trying to move on from something. Big changes in life don’t come with a rule book.
Next thing you should do is determine what your new goals are for yourself. Make a plan for you. If you want to go on a trip, start saving! Make it a new goal. You want to get fit? Make a workout and meal plan. Moving on means moving on to bigger and better things. Never settle for moving backwards. Let this life change propel you forward, not pull you back.
Find your support system through change. For me, my friends and family have been my life savers. They have listened to me through my tears, my worries, and my hopes. They showed me that even though so much has changed, I have so much to look forward to.
Moving on takes a lot of courage. Sometimes things don’t make sense, and you get mad, frustrated and confused. And so many times, things just happen and it’s not your fault and you cannot blame yourself. But moving takes courage and you are courageous for taking your next step.
And for me, moving on is learning to be happy, and facing each day expecting the brightest sun to shine and waking up each morning ready for the next adventure. I am confident in each step I take and only looking back to remind myself of where I’ve been.