"All Part of the Learning Process" by Kaylyn H

      I remember my first heartbreak. It was the most awful thing in the world with this
boy we’ll call Fin. Fin and I were friends first, best friends in fact. We had a group we all sat with and hung around, since we were all in the same extracurricular activity. Of course everyone in the group made each other laugh, but we had the best connection. Fin and I made each other experience that pain at your sides laugh like no other, but everything changed once he moved away. We admitted we liked each other after he officially moved out of the city, and my naive self thought a long distance relationship would be easy, so I plunged right into it. We Facetimed everyday and texted nonstop to the point where we would run out of things to talk about. It was great for a while, until it wasn't. The talking on the phone started to slow, the texting wasn’t as frequent. Being the person I am, I was concerned. If there was an issue, I wanted to fix it.
     However, he had different plans. He broke it off, and I was devastated. It was so cliché looking back on it now; I was crying on the bathroom floor and felt like it was the end of the world. When something causes me emotional stress, I feel nauseous and my stomach physically can’t hold food down. It got to the point where it was so bad that I couldn’t tell the difference between pain from hunger and actual pain. My Mom and I

ended up going to the doctors, and they ended up telling me nothing was wrong with me. I went to Sizzlers afterwards just to have an allergic reaction to something there and had to go back. To this day, I still won’t step foot in a Sizzler’s.
     Anyway, this was the start of a chain of events that happened afterward but still considered completely normal. I’ve dated other people, learning a new lesson with each one. Learning it’s not healthy to be completely focused on them 100% of the time. You’ll end up losing yourself and won’t know how to live without them. You shouldn’t go into another relationship quickly to ease the pain after a breakup. It really just stunts your growth as a person. When you see toxic signs dont ignore them; a little independence is good in a relationship. But the most important lesson I’ve learnt is to know your worth. Don't settle for less than what you know you deserve. I’m human; I haven't been perfect in these relationships, but it’s all part of the learning process. With each relationship you have, whether it be a friendship or relationship, you learn something new, and that's the most beautiful part of it.
     Although it hurts, although it feels like your world is crashing down, in the end, it all turns out okay. In 2 years, you won't even remember what all those fights were about or all those memories you used to cry about. All that's left is the lesson you learnt from it and how they made you feel; you learn what you can and can’t deal with and what you want or is necessary in a person you're interested in. I don't regret any of the relationships I’ve been in. I wish them nothing but the best, but I’m also grateful that I was able to be apart of their life for that split moment and be a lesson for them as they were to me.