I have a midterm tomorrow and I haven’t studied as much as I intended to… so what?

I haven’t gone out in three weekends…so what?

Someone doesn’t like me (even though that’s very unlikely haha)…so what?

I have no solid plans for after I graduate…so what?

I’m single…so what?

I tried something new that I am passionate about and I failed…so what?

These two simple words, without a doubt, have helped to keep me sane and have carried me through this year. My best friend introduced me to the concept of “so what,” which she learned from one of our mentor’s at school, the lovely Ms. Whitney Hogan, and ever since than I’ve been obsessed with this phrase. If I find myself even the least bit overwhelmed I try to take a breath and reevaluate the situation by asking myself so what? Will the world end if I do or don’t complete something? No, it won’t and it’s such a relief to come to the realization that I can’t let the little things take up too much of my time and I just have to be myself, no matter what others think.

Life is full of uncertainties and surprises and what we expect to happen might not, but we can’t let that consume us. We must persevere and keep fighting whether it be for recovery, pursuing our dreams, or whatever matters to us the most. It is necessary to look at the big picture and not be overwhelmed by whatever is going on in the moment that is giving us a hard time. So, when you feel over trodden by something just ask yourself, in whatever capacity it might be, so what?