The famous phrase “just keep swimming” by Dory from Finding Nemo floats through my head throughout the day. It’s a constant reminder that simply moving on and reflecting is better than being bogged down by something that you can’t change. Of course, some things are more difficult to move on from than others. The loss of a loved one is, of course, more difficult to move on from then simply failing a test. One could argue that failing every test that they took would be more preferable than losing someone important in your life. However, loss is an inescapable part of life, and sometimes, the best way forward is to “just keep swimming”.

There’s no point crying over spilled milk.

–James Howell, Paramoigraphy, 1659

While this quote may seem contradictory to the previous quote, one could argue that they are slightly different approaches to loss; both with benefits and losses. Similarly, this quote could mean that you should simply move on instead of “crying”.

A prime example of these quotes would be Juliane Koepcke, the 17 year old who survived a plane explosion over the Amazon. She was the lone survivor of her flight that went down on Christmas Eve over the forest, and she survived by crawling her way back to civilization with astonishing level-headedness. Through her shock she simply kept traversing through the jungle, swam through a river, and ended up at a lumberjack’s “lodge” where 3 men helped her return to the world. She “just kept swimming” and navigated through her problem, living to tell the tale.

Although my problems aren’t as book-worthy as Juliane’s, most of the time the best option is to simply keep moving. To keep solving the problems that face you. Because eventually, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Something that allows me to keep moving forward, while it may seem contradictory, is stopping. For me, stopping and taking a mental break while drinking water, watching a show, playing a game, or eating a snack is something that gets me through my day. Whether I have a mountain of homework to complete, I’m worried about a test, or I have to do a chore that I despise. Although this may not work for everyone, and the severity of the situation may call for more than a break, this works for me because it allows me to reorganize my thoughts so I know what I need to do.

Sometimes, a little break helps you “just keep swimming”