Hannah Brown has had quite a year.
The former Bachelorette reflected on her journey in an honest Instagram post on Monday.
One year ago, Brown accepted a proposal from her now-ex Jed Wyatt. In her post, the Alabama native shared a photo from the final rose ceremony, where the Tennessee musician got down on one knee.
“Ever look back on a memory and it feels like just yesterday… but also like a different life? Me too. Exactly a year ago today,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself from that day. “I remember that day. I don’t like staying there for too long, but I remember it really well. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this has all the makings to be the best day of my life…but gah, it doesn’t feel like I thought it would.’ I didn’t have words (or maybe I just didn’t have the courage to say them?) but the pit in my stomach was screaming, ‘This ain’t it’ (funny how sometimes it’s the people around you that help you articulate your feelings better than you can). I could fake a smile but I couldn’t shake the doubt, and looking back, I know why. That ending was not easy, but it was necessary to get me here.”
Looking back at that time, Brown then shared the words of wisdom she’d tell herself.
“If I could go back and tell her something, I would whisper, ‘It’s going to be OK. You’re right, this ain’t it, but it‘s the direction. So open up your hands, and let go of the control. Trust this process, it’s going to be worth it,'” she continued. “‘Also, nice butt!'”
She also gave her followers some advice.
“If you are reading this right now, wondering how to navigate a situation that feels so painful and so not what you wanted, maybe you’ll let me tell you what I would’ve told myself: Hold on. Keep moving. You’re going to make it. This ain’t it but what’s coming is so much better,” she concluded. “Sometimes you’ve gotta walk through the shadows to stand in the sun. And trust me, you’ll really appreciate the way it feels shining down on you, too.”
ABC
As fans will recall, Brown and Wyatt ended their engagement after she learned he had been dating another woman before coming on the show. Bachelor Nation then wondered if Brown would give her relationship with runner-up Tyler Cameron another go after she asked him out for a drink on After the Final Rose. However, that soon changed after he was spotted hanging out with Gigi Hadid. The models reportedly split after two months of dating. Hadid is now back together with Zayn Malik, and they’re expecting their first child.
Brown went on to start a new chapter, which included moving to Los Angeles and winning Dancing With the Stars. She also reignited romance rumors with Cameron after they were spotted spending time together in his home state of Florida earlier this spring. However, Brown has made it clear she’s single, and Cameron has said they’re friends. In fact, she said she’s ready to “test the waters a little bit” when it comes to dating once social distancing is over.
During a recent Instagram Live, Brown said some of this past year has been “heartbreaking” while other parts have been “groundbreaking.”
It’s safe to say Bachelor Nation can’t wait to see what this next year will bring.