There are times in life when everything feels like it’s going from bad to worse. I know I’m not the only one who’s felt this way. When things are rough, you start to distance yourself from the good stuff, like your friends and family. Day by day, you sink deeper into a hole, feeling alone with no one to talk to. Keeping all these thoughts to yourself is torture. They eat away at your personality bit by bit, but you can’t let your mind win. Those pesky, repetitive thoughts can’t take over the life you’ve built.

Instead, I’ve chosen to focus on what I’ve accomplished, the people I’ve helped, and the things I’ve done right. I’m focusing on the positives instead of the negatives. Spending more time with people who care about me is always a good way to forget about the problems. Taking time for yourself is important, no matter how much that little voice says you don’t deserve it—it’s lying. The fact that you made it through another day is something to celebrate.

Maybe everything in your life feels like it’s going wrong, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. Start each day with an open mind, a smile, be kind to people, fill your life with color, and you’ll see things start to get better.