Anonymous
Photo by Jalencia Pouge.
If you’re reading this, your hardest days do not define you.
There are days when life feels like everything is against you, when your mind won't quiet down, when getting out of bed feels like climbing a never-ending mountain. Days when you feel tired in a way sleep can't fix. Days when you wonder if anyone sees how hard you're trying just to keep moving along. But, those days don't define your life. They shape you. They strengthen you. They reveal parts of how resilient you are.
You may not even realize it, but surviving your hardest days is a victory, even if you think it isn’t. You don’t have to look strong or act strong for strength to exist. Sometimes strength just looks like pushing forward on days when you don’t want to. Sometimes it’s letting yourself feel whatever you feel and choosing to try again tomorrow.
It's easy to be hard on yourself, especially when you feel like you should be doing more or handling things better. But you are not a machine. You are a human being with real emotions. You're allowed to break down, you're allowed to rest, and you're allowed to not have everything together all the time. And none of that makes you any less worthy or capable.
I hope you give yourself credit for the days when simply surviving was enough. I hope you look at your journey and realize how many moments you've pushed through when, in the moment, you didn't think you would.
Your hardest days don't mean that you're failing or are a failure. They mean that you're human. They mean you're being challenged and refined in ways that might not make sense yet, but someday will. Growth rarely feels comfortable while it's happening. Strength rarely feels like strength when you're in the middle of some of your hardest challenges.
If you’re reading this, I want you to remember that there will be brighter days. There will be mornings when your mind feels lighter, when you laugh without forcing it, when things start to make sense again. There will be moments where you catch yourself feeling peaceful and realize you’ve come farther than you ever thought you would. When the hard days return, and they will, don’t forget this: you’ve survived every hard day up to now.
You’ve made it through things you once thought would break you. You are stronger than your doubts, kinder than your thoughts, and braver than you realize. Even when it doesn’t feel like it, you’re doing the best you can.
And that is enough.
Anonymous, University of South Carolina
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