Ariana Grande opened up about the transformative changes she’s experienced in the past year. The pop star, 30, took to her Instagram Story to reflect on 2022, which included her divorce from Dalton Gomez and new romance with Ethan Slater.

Grande called it one of the most “transformative, challenging, yet happiest and special” periods, feeling both at the “mercy of and in acceptance” of life’s lessons.

“One of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life,” she began. “There were so many beautiful yet polarized feelings. I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I’ve never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment.”

“I’ve never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life,” she continued.

“I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other,” the Santa Tell Me crooner added. “I have never felt more tightly held or fiercely protected by those who love and understand me (friends, family, and fans alike).”

“I am listening to and trusting myself, even when fear or trauma tells me not to. I am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that do not.”

“I feel softer and stronger all at once. I cannot wait for next year,” she concluded.