Dear person who overthinks and tortures yourself about the future,

A lot of times, you feel confused and skeptical thinking about which path to take to become successful. Maybe, you have something on your plate right now — busy doing something you want. Or perhaps, you’re one of the many souls who are still searching… making plans on what to do.

A lot of times, several questions are popping into your head. Maybe, you often question yourself: Should you continue doing what you are currently doing? What if you’re just wasting your time? Can you make it? How will this help your future?

Maybe you have experienced being left out, especially when some of your friends and colleagues are gradually achieving their dreams. And yet, you’re still here, still hanging on — but you remain undecided about which path to take.

We don’t live only to try to survive life’s challenges. We live to thrive amidst these adversities.

When thoughts like these keep you awake at night, remember: you are not alone.

Many people experienced anxiety due to the uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have lost their jobs… others have lost their loved ones. Many students opted to temporarily stop going to school because of financial reasons. Some students decided not to enroll in alternative learning (i.e. online classes) because they don’t have the necessary resources for such learning method.

Let me tell you a secret: I am one of those students.

Yes, this crisis has forced me to stopped my schooling (at least temporarily). Have I ever felt like I was being left out? You bet I have. And maybe, those of you who are experiencing different kinds of trials at the moment have felt the same way too. Maybe you feel like you have no choice but to wholeheartedly accept what life is throwing at you. But we don’t live only to try to survive life’s challenges — we live to thrive amidst these adversities.

Rather than waste my time doing nothing, I took this opportunity to start pursuing my passion. I started to write for a variety of writing platforms and began creating something for myself through writing.

Through writing, I share a piece of me and this makes me happy.

However, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. There were times when I can’t help but feel down and less confident, especially when I tend to compare my progress with other people’s progress. Envy is not a good thing, but many people could not help but feel envious seeing others achieve their goals quicker, and sometimes, with lesser effort.

“When you’re thinking about giving up, remember why you started.”

Maybe you are like me who usually get stuck with (often unhealthy) midnight thoughts, questioning yourself if what you’re doing will bring you to new heights. Perhaps you’re asking for a sign of whether to continue doing what you’re doing, or to just quit and try something else. When thoughts of giving up keeps you awake at night, remember why you started.

Overthinking is a normal response when we are faced with trials and uncertainties. This is because our brain is thinking of ways to survive. However, we tend to forget that one of the most important ways to survive is to choose wisely which battles to fight. Challenges and adversities will always be there, taking different forms. And there will always be obstacles to get through before we can reach our dreams.

You can either be a victim of life’s uncertainties, or you can work through your own limitations and become a victor. You can either torture yourself with envy, self-doubt, and self-pity, or you can work with what you have to build a better future.

It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Remember, progress is still progress, no matter how small.

Remember, there is no such thing as wasting time as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing. Never doubt yourself — you are a masterpiece. Failures and mistakes will always be there, but they should not stop you from being the best version of you. What matters most is that you learn from your failures and use them to become better.

What you are experiencing right now is just one of the many challenges that you need to overcome — believe that you can make it, and you will. You deserve to be what you want to be. Focus on your goals and try not to compare your progress with other people’s progress. After all, it doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Remember, progress is still progress, no matter how small.

Dear person who overthinks about the future: Take a rest whenever you feel like giving up, and continue where you have left off. Perhaps start again whenever necessary. You are the author of your own story — hold your pen tightly and make your dreams happen.

Life is not about who will become successful first. We may have different time zones in life, but that doesn’t make any of us early or late. Be patient, keep moving forward, and trust the process. Your time will come.

One day, all your hard work will pay off. One day, you, too, will get there.

---

This guest post is written by April Almariego.

April is a senior high school student who loves to write Boys Love Romance genre. She keeps herself busy by doing community volunteering. Just recently, she and a group of young writers initiated a Write For A Cause fundraising campaign to help the victims of the typhoon Ulysses that ravaged Northern Luzon, Philippines. April believes that one day, she can and will make a difference.