Dwayne C.
Photo by Jalencia Pouge.
If you’re reading this, remember it’s not as deep as you think.
When you’re in the middle of a difficult time, it can feel like the weight of everything is crashing down on you. Your thoughts spiral, your chest feels heavy, and it seems like you’ll never get out of it. But the truth is, those feelings and thoughts don’t last forever. What feels overwhelming right now will eventually pass, even if it doesn’t seem possible at the moment.
I’ve learned that sometimes the scariest thoughts lose their power when you give yourself space to breathe. What feels like the end of the world in your head is often not as big or permanent as it seems. With time, with support, and with kindness to yourself, things can start to feel lighter again.
Maybe you sent a text you regret or said something awkward and your mind replays it on loop. But by tomorrow, most people won’t even remember it, and you’ll wonder why it felt so heavy
Maybe you’re anxious about a decision that didn’t go perfectly, a missed opportunity, a wrong turn, a moment you can’t redo. Yet weeks from now, you’ll see it taught you something or led you somewhere better than you expected.
I remember stressing for days over an exam I thought I’d completely failed. I couldn’t sleep, I kept replaying every mistake I would make in my head. But when the results came back, it actually turned out better than I thought. And even if it hadn’t, I realized the world wouldn’t have ended. It would be just one moment, it wouldn't define who I am.
The truth is, our minds are experts at exaggerating. They take a single problem and stretch it until it fills the whole room. But most of the time, it’s not the situation itself that hurts the most, it’s the story we tell ourselves about it. The “what ifs,” the “should haves,” the “I can’t believe I did that.” It’s okay to feel those things, but don’t let them convince you that the moment is bigger than it is.
Give yourself permission to zoom out. To see that this is one chapter in a long story, one wave in a much bigger ocean. You’ve survived every bad day so far, every disappointment, every moment you thought you wouldn’t recover from, and here you are, still standing, still growing.
Sometimes peace doesn’t come from fixing everything, but from realizing you don’t need to. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. You just have to breathe, take the next small step, and trust that you’re finding your way.
So if you’re stuck replaying worries, fears, or mistakes, remind yourself: it’s not as deep as your mind is making it. You are allowed to let go, to move forward, and to focus on the small things that bring you peace.
You are more resilient than you realize. Take it one step at a time.
Dwayne C., University of South Carolina
Connect With Us
To follow IfYoureReadingThis at UofSC on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to UofSC students, visit our chapter’s homepage.
AUTHOR CONTACT
This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.
