We all know by now that life gets hard sometimes. Circumstances arise that test our strength and make us feel like we may not make it out alive but when times get tough it helps to remember that without these struggles we wouldn’t truly appreciate life when it actually is going our way. Think of these life struggles as a workout for your character; just like going to the gym, you won’t see results unless it hurts a little (a lot) and makes you sweat really hard. In the end, just know you’ll be a better, wiser, stronger person who can look back and say you got through it.

1) Breakups

The gut-wrenching pain of a breakup can make you feel like someone just dropped a hundred pound cinder block on your heart and left you there to die. In the moments, days, weeks, even years after going through a tough breakup you may feel as though you’ll never love again. It feels unfair when you see other couples who look so happy and you try to put on an optimistic front when thinking of the possibility of another relationship, even though it kind of makes you want to puke. Let yourself feel all these emotions; the anger, the hurt, the loss, the regret. The more you feel the more you will learn and soon you will be able to accept that this breakup really was for the best and you’ll start to appreciate your new lease on life. This struggle will teach you to be smart with your heart in the future and not settle for anything less than butterflies. You’ll grow in a way that you won’t notice as it’s happening but eventually you will believe in love again. You’ll also finally be able to depend on yourself alone and know that you are the one most important person in your life.

2) Bad Jobs

The struggle of working a job you absolutely hate is real. Dragging yourself out of bed each morning to make it to the office on time becomes part of a routine you absolutely despise but you do it anyway. You do it because you have to make ends-meet or because you need the experience or maybe because you feel like you can’t get anything better. The fact that you’re doing it and not giving up is teaching you perseverance though, as much as you feel like you’re getting dumber by the hour. It’s helping you become stronger because you know that you actually can provide for yourself, even if it’s by doing a job you hate. It’s showing you what you really don’t want to do so you can try harder to get a job you know you will really love. And in the end, when you land that dream job or build up the courage to start your own company you will appreciate every moment so much more because you will know what it’s like to work in the bowels of hell and you know you will do everything in your power to succeed at the job you are passionate about.

3) Money Issues

Sure, some people in this world never have to worry a day in their lives about money but for the rest of us, this is a pretty pressing issue. The way we tackle this struggle varies; some of us avoid sleep and worry incessantly about how the upcoming bills will be paid, while others try to avoid thinking at all about how deep in the hole they are pretending like it’s not a big deal. However you cope, there’s no denying that money problems have left us all struggling from time to time wishing we could just win the god-damn lottery for once. It’s not a fun feeling and it’s all too present in way too many lives but not having money really teaches you how to value things. You start realizing that the nicest clothes don’t mean much if you can’t afford your groceries and you start understanding just how far a dollar can go if you budget properly. You learn to say no to that weekend away because rent’s due on Monday and you know you just can’t make it work. But all of these lessons add up to be more valuable than the money you wish you had because when you do find yourself making a better salary one day you’ll appreciate things so much more. You won’t squander your money away on meaningless things and you’ll find that, while money can definitely help you worry less and allow you to do things that make you happy, real happiness comes from somewhere much deeper.

4) Loneliness

Ah yes, being lonely. Is there anything more soul crushing than realizing how lonely you feel? You may know perfectly well that you are loved by many but sometimes we all get hit with a pang of loneliness that makes us feel straight-up sad. It could be after the aforementioned breakup, it could be after the horrific death of a loved one, it could be after moving to a new city and realizing you know absolutely no one. There are many reasons for loneliness and the best cure is to figure out your own mind. If you have to grieve, do it. If you have to throw yourself into an uncomfortable social situation to make new friends, do it. If you have to write out a list of all the people in your life you know you can count on (there has to be a couple), do it. Being lonely is normal but you have to pick yourself up and realize you’re only lonely if you let yourself be. The internal struggle is one you can only fight alone, but once you overcome it you will see how truly un-lonely you really are. Getting through those days can be tough but you’ll learn how many shoulders you have to cry on and how many people really do care for you and that alone is enough to move a mountain.

5) Self-Image

It’s clearly evident that many people struggle with self-image on a daily basis. Whether it be weight issues, body imperfections, or simply not enjoying the person you see in the mirror we’ve all had days where we just feel blah. Self-image also applies to how we view ourselves outside of our mirror image– how we feel we add up in the grand scheme of things. The fact that we’re all trying so hard to impress each other seems like it may never go away (although it might be getting a bit better) but at the end of the day the internal struggles we have with ourselves about the person we are allows us to get a better understanding of why we are that way. It’s okay to be aware of one’s self-image and to work on feeling better about ourselves each day, but we have to learn that having a good self-image on the outside starts with work on the inside. If you can get through that struggle and learn to love yourself for the great person you are then I guarantee you will feel stronger and more empowered on the other side. Having negative feelings about yourself is bound to happen but working through those thoughts and becoming better because of it is an asset that will prove valuable throughout the rest of your life.