We all have moments in life where we feel a little lost. There are times when we are physically lost, which can easily be solved by turning on a GPS, and then there are times when we are emotionally lost. These feelings of not being able to make sense of your emotions or of trying to figure out who you are as person do not have simple solutions. They come with time and a commitment to yourself. Unlike being physically lost, when you are emotionally lost, there are no mindlessly changing routes to bring you to your destination. Instead, you have to invest the time and effort to force yourself onto a path that will not be easy. A path that will be filled with obstacles of people trying to change your ideas and beliefs. A difficult path that will ultimately bring you to your goal.

The first step to getting back on track is often letting go and losing yourself. Losing yourself doesn’t mean getting drunk every night to forget your problems or completely changing who you are to become the person you think you might want to be. It doesn't mean forgetting your past and ignoring your morals, because those are the things that have built your foundation. And, finally, it most certainly doesn’t mean conforming to the negative influences that you think you want to be around. This is where this process can get tricky. When you're trying to find out who you really are — the goals you want to achieve, the ideals you want to reflect, and the impression you want to give off — it is easy to simply follow in the footsteps of someone else. When you don’t have the slightest idea of the type of person you want to become and are in an emotionally vulnerable state, trying to live through someone else’s life may seem like the easy way out.

No matter how hard times get and how easy it seems to live someone else’s life, you still have to remember what it means to lose yourself. Remember that it means reevaluating yourself. It means clearing your conscience and getting a fresh start. It means sitting down and thinking about what YOU want in life and how YOU want to achieve it. In order to successfully do this, you have to get rid of the extra noise from other people’s opinions by confidently making up your own mind and sticking to it. We get too caught up in what others think and forget that when it comes to personal decisions, it is our own opinion that matters the most.

Feelings of being confused about who you are are common. Isn’t that what every middle/high school coming-of-age movie is about? It’s when these feeling linger for extenuating amounts of time and begin to emotionally drain you that they are no longer common feelings. They are now problems that have to be resolved. It’s important to know that no matter how you are feeling, there is someone out there who is feeling or has felt the same way. The whole process can be exhausting and confusing so don’t be afraid to have a close friend or family member help you out. Just remember to let go and move on. Everything will be ok.