thank u, next

Ok so I know that Ariana Grande's new song literally just came out, but I really had to write about it. This was the song that I didn't know I needed. Maybe not in the sense of relating to almost getting married, but in the sense that all my past friendships and relationships have taught me something. The things that I have learned have only helped me grow into being a better and more caring person. Without going through what I have, I wouldn't know as much as I've come to know about treating people, including how to treat myself. I thought Ariana snapped when she released god is a woman but I did not know what was coming.

Everyone who has been in my life at one time or another, has taught me something. Those lessons have shaped me into who I am, whether they've taught me how I should treat people, or how not to treat people. I'm grateful for every relationship that I've ever had, even though it's a good thing that some of those relationships have ended. "thank u, next" was the reminder I needed that unfortunately some relationships can end and people can leave your life, but there's a way to take something positive from it. There's a way to not let it hold you back from moving on and living your life. To this day, I admit that I'm not the best with change. But throughout recent years, I've started to get better as I've realized that I can take all these changes as opportunities to grow. In the song, Ariana adjusts her lyrics in her pre-chorus. One of the lines she changes is:

 "one taught me pain" to "she handles pain" to "I've learned from the pain"

This progression really resonated with me because as she grew, she realized that she needs to do what she can to find a lesson from within the pain she's experienced. This reminder was a little slap in the face, but one that I'm glad I got. When we deal with something painful, we can get caught up in the fact that we're hurting and it can feel like the end of the world. Although I know I should try and find a positive outcome from the situation, it can be hard when you're really hurt. This song reminded me to try to pull myself out of whatever pain I feel, to notice that something good can come from it. There are so many other reminders throughout the song. The entire thing encompasses the general message of embracing self growth and saying thank you to what you've learned so far, knowing that there's still so much to learn.

From Ariana Grande's Instagram Story

This song is the perfect example of embracing being imperfect and realizing that we're all still in the process of becoming who we're meant to be. I'm all about self growth and improvement and so this song strongly resonated with me and actually shook me to the core. It reminded me that every person and every hardship is shaping me into who I am becoming and that there's only growth from here. Recently, I've been feeling like it's time to let some people out of my life that haven't totally been there, and focus on those who do act as constant presence in my life. Rather than stressing over those who don't treat the friendship as important, let them go and focus on what they've taught me throughout our friendship; Which is to be a better friend to those who truly treat friendship like a two way street. The whole situation has been bringing so much stress into my life within the past week or so, I was getting really down about it. Then Friday night, this song was released and it helped me get a clear perspective and some of my stress began to melt away. Even though Ariana Grande is primarily singing about her ex's, this song can be applied to every single kind of relationship you could possibly be involved in. When I first heard "thank u, next", I connected it with some past and some current friendships that I have. As of right now, I'm not planning on cutting people out entirely, but simply preventing myself from worrying about a friendship that isn't mutual or healthy. The stress of these relationships is so unnecessary however, it's teaching my how to be better. 

Ariana also chooses herself in this song which is something so important when striving for self growth. I'm no expert but from personal experiences, choosing to work on yourself is an important commitment necessary in the process of growing. Your relationship with yourself is the one relationship that you will have for the entire span of your lifetime. You are the one person that you can always count on without a doubt, through anything. As I've learned, people come and go, but there's no escaping yourself. So treat that relationship with care and better yourself in the process. 

Review posted on Ariana Grande's Instagram Story

We've all had our traumas and we've all been through our own personal hell. Ariana's struggles have been in the public eye for quite a while now. Although it's sad to see, what she's been through is inspiration that I can also get through all my own struggles and take away positivity in the process. No matter how hard what we're going through may seem, there will always be something to learn from the experience.

thank u to the lessons I've learned so far...

next

- Jillian



p.s. thank u Ariana for this song. It's exactly what I needed when I didn't know I needed it.



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