It seems to be an epidemic. So many people around me are, simply put, suffering.

Some are calling it "breakup season." If anything, it's harsh, but it's accurate. I watch on as so many of my closest friends and my favorite people are forcing smiles while stifling tears, concealing this deep sadness that only resonates with a breakup. They've seen it before, as many have, as I have, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Breakups suck. Bottom line. They mean crying, they mean heartbreak, they mean tough times. But the great thing about tough times is that they will not always be tough.

To all my gals suffering right now, listen up. You are not going through this alone. Your support system is beyond your knowledge. From me, to your mom, to cute little poems in a tiny black book, you will find love, encouragement, and power.

I've never been much of a poet, so I'll let Rupi speak for me. You can do this.

"when you are broken

and he has left you

do not question

whether you were

enough

the problem was

you were so enough

he was not able to carry it"

"the thing

worth holding on to

would not have let go"

"i know it's hard

believe me

i know it feels like

tomorrow will never come

and today will be the most difficult day to get through

but i swear you will get through

the hurt will pass

as it always does

if you give it time and

let it so let it

go

slowly

like a broken promise

let it go"

"we are all born

so beautiful

the greatest tragedy is

being convinced we are not"

"what's it to me

if you love me or

miss me or need me

when you are doing

nothing to be with me

if you can't allow me to be

the love of your life i will be

the loss of your life instead"

"she is water

soft enough

to offer life

tough enough

to drown it away"

"i have dug my way

out the ground

with palm and fist many times

my whole life has been

one burial after another

i will find my way

out of you just fine"

"you were not wrong for leaving

you were wrong for coming back

and thinking

you could have me

when it was convenient

and leave when it was not"

"what is stronger

than the human heart

which shatters over and over

and still lives"

"if you were born with

the weakness to fall

you were born with

the strength to rise"

I love you.