I can't be the only one out there that is done with all the BS that comes with talking about relationships. In a relationship, out of a relationship, in love, getting dumped or in a weird love circle, it all seems to suck at one point or another. At this age, you can't be truly in love and focus on yourself. If you find you can do that, please help the rest of us! I might be the only one but I have realized that at this age of self-discovery, being in our 20's is so hard. I have changed more in the past 7 months than ever before. How can we be with someone throughout all this change? Do we deserve to find ourselves without someone?

I have had a lot happen in relationships this past year and I have worked continuously with myself to focus on positivity and self-happiness and growth for the future.

How? When so much change has become a frequent occurrence, I have concluded that hope and prayer have done a lot for me to stay positive and realize my self-worth. I think that focusing on someone else in this time of self-exploration is so hard. Do we focus on ourselves or share it with someone else? Maybe personal choice?

So, how have I gotten through changing as a 20-year-old and being single or deciding whats best for me?

Lots of hope

I hope that one day I will be in a relationship that is willing to fight for my heart. I have to constantly remind myself that I am stronger than I think. I hope every day that I learn more about myself as an individual and I hope that the world teaches me a lesson each and every day. It is a beautiful thing to put your hope and strength into something larger than yourself. I realized that I was hoping for all of the wrong things. I wanted to be "okay" with being single or I wanted to figure out and hope to stay with someone during all this change - you cannot "hope" a relationship will last. I was so naive for thinking that way - we can't decide how this life is going to play out and we can't decide who is going to walk in and out of our lives. I truly understand that everything happens for a reason and at the time you could least expect change. Now, each day I hope for strength in myself and hope I am becoming someone that has a lot of love to give and happiness to spread.

Prayer

I have spent a lot of time this past year in prayer. I have had to focus a lot of my energy in different places. It became easy to think about myself and my dreams and my relationships and get carried away in that. When you are pulled from something you are comfortable in and forced to step outside of your box it can be hard. I applaud every person out there who has had a heartbreak and has turned it into something positive for their future. I decided instead of sitting and being anxious and stressing during this beautiful life, I would put my stress into someone/something that has higher power than anything I know.

I feel it can be so easy to get dumped, have something not go your way, miss out on an opportunity or just have a bad day. But, what I have learned is that we are stronger than we think. We are stronger people than we give ourselves credit for. Look at all of the things you and I are balancing on our plates right now! We want to be strong and it isn't always easy but with prayer and hope and inner core strength, you can do anything you put your mind to because this world will never say no to opportunities and relationships. I have a very strong belief that when one door closes another one opens.