Alright, ya homegirl is back giving you advice on the serious side.

    This one is going to be about that one thing everyone has: troubled times.

    They suck. We all know this and everyone has different versions of handling them, whether it’s listening to music in your bedroom, pushing yourself into all of your studies or not coping at all. Life is a  messy closet in your house.

    All negative things are on the floor and each time something happens to you, you throw these things down into an abyss of self-hate and depression.  You spend so much time making sure all the negative things are there that you never look and see the elegant dress or the fresh pair of jeans that have been there the whole time. We miss out on so many things that we don’t really live.

    We invest ourselves into the negative and occasionally glance at the hangers of accomplishments.

It is imperative to look up at the clothesline and remember that you’re not alone. Things can happen to you but you dictate how you react to them.

    You can’t let your emotions parent you into making mistakes.

    Support is another thing, having support. Many people are too busy looking down in the wardrobe.           Believing the lie that when something bad happens to them, they can’t tell anyone out of fear that no one would care.

    They do care, you have so many people on your side and they will understand and listen to you.

    Take twenty minutes out of your day and just breathe.

    According to NPR, Studies show that when you take deep breaths that you are calmer. It’s true when things happen to you suddenly, you’re compelled to over think, and that’s not healthy.

    You need to just breathe, take your mind off of a few things and let go.

   Somethings are hard to let go, a family loss, someone in the hospital, car accident, they wear on your shoulders like a freshman’s backpack.

   You can control that backpack. Take some books out it, get a notebook and write out your problems or just dump it all. You’re in control.

   A way to do this is using an ‘I-but-hey phrase’. It raises your head and turns on your light in the closet.

    Your mind can rest. Here is an example; “I really think I’m going to fail this test, but hey, I studied and worked hard to make sure I understood the material so it shouldn’t be too stressful.”

  Small phrases like this can make an unbearable day into one that isn’t as challenging.

     An old tale that my mother used to say, “If you can’t get through the day, try to get through the hour and if you can’t do that. Then do the minute, and if you can’t, do the second and if that’s too hard. Find someone who can make you laugh so that you can laugh for a minute and the hour won’t be too hard after all.”