Anonymous

Photography by Jalencia Pouge

If you’re reading this, I know life can be hard.

Some days, it feels like no matter how much effort you put in, it’s never enough. Like you’re constantly running a race with no finish line in sight, carrying more weight on your shoulders than anyone realizes. Maybe you feel like you have to keep it all together, to be strong even when you’re exhausted, to keep smiling even when things feel overwhelming.

I get it. Life has a way of testing us, sometimes in ways we never expected or feel unprepared for. It’s unfair. It’s heavy. And sometimes, it’s just plain exhausting. But if you take nothing else from this letter, let it be this: you are stronger than you think, and you are not alone.

Hard days don’t last forever. Even when it feels like you’re stuck, like things will never get better, they will. Maybe not overnight, maybe not in the way you expect, but they will. Because you’ve already made it through so much more than you give yourself credit for. Every time you thought you couldn’t, you did. Every time life knocked you down, you got back up. Even when you didn’t want to, even when it hurt, you kept going. And that’s not weakness, that’s resilience.

I know it’s easy to feel like you have to handle everything on your own. But you don’t. There are people who care about you, who want to help, who see the strength in you even when you can’t see it in yourself. Let them in. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re not. You don’t have to carry everything by yourself. You are allowed to struggle, to rest, to ask for help.

If you’re reading this, I just want you to know that I see you. I see how hard you’re trying, how much you care, how much you carry. And I want you to remember that no matter how tough life gets, you are tougher. You are worthy of love, of happiness, of peace even on your hardest days.

Keep going. You are capable of so much more than you realize. And one day, when you look back, you’ll be so proud of how far you’ve come.

Anonymous, University of South Carolina

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