Yes, I know; I missed a blog post. The reason for that will be explained throughout this little story…

Ever have one of those days? The kind when you don’t get much of a breather before another person or problem comes breathing down your neck? Yeah, I’ve been having those.

For the past month.

Welcome to the life of a college senior.

I’ve had projects, homework (which I’ve fallen behind on MAJORLY), special events, running between home and school (which is a 50 minute drive one-way), and one internship interview that I think went well. This work load has been getting worse and worse as the semester has gone on. Finally, after that month, I broke down on Wednesday. It was too much. The trigger was being threatened, but it was an empty threat. I was scared at first, but when I realized it couldn’t happen, it wasn’t a big deal.

Anyway, my life is finally calming down. I’m staying at school this weekend to catch up on work (as I really don’t do homework when I’m home). I’ve got 5 make-up quizzes, one make-up test, and 28 minutes left of a transcription for my English class to do this weekend. For the rest of the semester, I have one quiz, three final exams, two final projects, and two weeks of being here.

The point of this post is to not scare people into not wanting to go to college. That is not even close. You get the opportunity to go to college, I have one word for you: GO! It is the experience of a lifetime, and you don’t want to pass that up.

No, the point is that THINGS GET BETTER. No matter how bad things look, they will always get better, somehow, someway. As my family used to tell me on a regular basis, “Things can only go up from here.”

And I’ve had friends at school that are going through the same stresses I’ve been going through. There are a few song lyrics I play for them to let them know that we’ll get through it.

“If you ever fall down, straight to the bottom, and you can’t get back right where you started, any place anytime, you gotta know for you, I’ll fight.”

-Daughtry, I’ll Fight

“Just give it one more time, to a Lullaby, and turn this up on the radio. If you can hear me now, I’m reachin’ out, to let you know that you’re not alone. And if you can’t tell, I’m scared as Hell, cuz I can’t get you on the telephone. So just close your eyes. Baby here comes a Lullaby. Your very own Lullaby.”

-Nickelback, Lullaby (I linked the actual music video for this one, because it’s powerful. At least to me)

“Cuz when push comes to shove, you taste what you’re made of. You might bend, ‘til you break, cuz it’s all you can take. On your knees, you look up, decide you’ve had enough. You get mad, you get strong. Wipe your hands, shake it off. Then you stand.”

-Rascal Flatts, Stand

“There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes you’re gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waitin’ on the other side. It’s the climb.”

-Miley Cyrus, The Climb

Whenever I feel down and like the world has thrown me to the ground (usually repeatedly and frequently), I play these songs and others like them to remind me that I’m not alone. This happens to everyone at some point in their lives. If they can pick themselves up, so can I. On Thursday, after that meeting that scared me on Wednesday, I went to my teacher’s office to talk to her about it. The first thing she tells me? “I glad you came. I didn’t think you’d last the night.”

To which I replied, “Well, I’m still alive, right?”

(Where do you look for inspiration when you’re upset or stressed? Do you have any songs, song lyrics, poems, stories, or people to talk to that help get you out of that rut. Comment below and let me know how you get through those struggles.)