I remember the first time I ever broke down in tears from school stress. I had just received really bad news that could affect my future, and I missed an exam because I was six minutes late. I have always seen myself as someone who is always in control of every situation and being the precise planner that I am, I hate when things do not work out as I planned. Unfortunately, it seemed like everything was crumbling around me and I felt like I was losing all of my control. It broke me down and I found myself in the bathroom, bawling my eyes out.

Scrolling through Instagram/Twitter, you see memes about college students who break down in tears because they couldn't handle the stress anymore, and then a few minutes later they are going again, fighting to survive. I always laughed at those memes and just thought that would never be me. I thought I could handle anything thrown my way.

But life is unpredictable and no matter how much you plan everything, things happen and we just have to find a way to handle them.

In those moments when I felt like my life was spiraling out of control, I felt so confused and depressed. I had no clue what to do to get back in control. Talking about my stress and my problems was the only thing that kept me sane. There's a saying that "a problem shared is half solved", when you share your problems with others that care you get to find another perspective and help on how to face it. Even if you don't find another perspective, just the relief of not having to hold the pain and confusion in is enough. Surrounding yourself with people who care and love you also helps because they are the only group of people that get to support you and also remind you of what you're made of.

You really are stronger than you think. You might feel hopeless and confused in those moments of pain, but one thing I have realized is that you can never have a problem you cannot handle.

When there's a will, there's a way.

If you have the will to be better than your problems and move past it, you'll surely get that happiness and satisfaction you deserve at the end.