It’s okay, not to be okay.

To those who need to hear this,

It’s okay, if you don’t feel okay.

It’s okay, if you are struggling to find happiness in your day, or if you cry through your pain

It’s okay, if you feel sad, hurt and right now, a little hopeless

Your feelings are valid, and it’s okay to feel them, live them and work through them at your own pace. Never let anyone push you, rush you or invalidate your feelings.

The world is hard, growing up is hard, finding yourself is hard, and sometimes the world feels against you.

It’s always okay to feel how you feel. Acknowledge your feelings instead of trying to deny them. Whether you have to cry daily to get through it or scream through something, let your anger and frustration out.

It’s okay when things are not okay

But I promise everything will be

Remember, there is no weakness in your struggle, crying, or processing; that takes strength. It takes strength to tell someone you’re not okay. It takes strength to get up each morning and start your day, even if you cry, feel sad, or fake your happiness. We are all battling something, but one person’s hardship doesn’t take away from another’s.

My world fell apart over the last couple of years, and it has continued to spiral. In an effort to claim I was okay, I pushed forward. In hindsight, it was the worst thing I could have done. In March, I cried while trying to do daily activities and tasks, believing I would be fine in a minute and that I just needed to be okay.

I continued not to cope, until I finally started having breakdowns. Breakdowns that made me realise I needed help.

It’s okay not to be okay. Life is hard, and there are so many challenges. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay that some challenges are harder than others. It’s okay not to bounce back as easily as others. And it’s okay to ask for help.

Remember social media isn’t real. Everyone is facing their own battles, whether they are showing it or not, whether they are over-posting or not. We live in a different world than the generations before us. They changed the world; there is no denying that, but not all changes are positive, and we are navigating the best we can.