Let’s be real. It is a terrible feeling when someone you care about hurts you. Whether it’s a crush, significant other, friend, or family member that has broken your heart, it sucks. So let’s forget about all that “you’re too strong to be hurt!” nonsense. You are a human being with a fragile heart. You’re allowed to feel bad when someone betrays or hurts you, even if you’re guilty of hurting them back.

I know everything hurts right now. I know you hate feeling this helpless; I know you hate feeling betrayed. I know you want to do everything in your power to make yourself happy, maybe even to go back to the way things used to be. I know it may feel like the world is against you, or that you’re walking on broken glass.

And it is OK to be sad. It is OK to cope with your hurt in any way you choose best for yourself (obviously, there are limits to how much self-loathing and sadness one can soak up until it gets to borderline depression.)

What I’m saying is this: You’re allowed to feel hurt. You’re allowed to be sad. Don’t feel like you have to fake being happy and unbroken in order to go about your daily life.

Why? Because time heals.

I know everyone says that, and I’m trying to steer you away from the corny crap that people are feeding you, but time does heal. So take all the time you need.

And, spoiler alert: this emotional mess you’re going through is temporary. Everything you feel is temporary.

Time will be your best remedy. You will feel genuine once again. And that’s something to keep in mind as you’re going through pain—to know that you will overcome this sadness, to know that it is inevitable to get over this. Instead of feeling remorse about the situation, you will one day feel thankful for it. It will give you strength and it will give you a lesson that you will carry for the rest of your life. You will never be the same person that you were before it happened, which is a great thing! It means you have grown. It means that you will develop into the best version of yourself.

Without these people coming into our lives and hurting us, we will never grow.

So, you will take all these lessons and allow them to positively affect you. You will change. You will grow—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

You will take everything that the universe has given you and let them be seeds, and you will allow love and laughter to be sunlight and water...and, mark my words, you will grow beautifully.