It’s OK To Not Be OK

We hear a lot of bad news day in and day out, journalists give it to us, social media, another shooting, another celebrity getting shut down, another natural disaster. So, we want to read books and watch movies that make us feel good, listen to happy music, and pretend the world is great. And nobody wants to hear this, I understand, but some of us aren’t doing so well – some of us are struggling.

This one’s for the ones who are hurting.

You’re not alone, and I want you to know you’re not alone. To be honest, I’m not doing so great… things are really hard; and I’m trying to face them every single day with a  brave face, but I cry a lot and I sit at home wondering how I got delt these cards pretty often. I’m not saying I’m not strong, I’m not saying things aren’t going to work out, I know they will. But it’s OK to not be OK sometimes, and to acknowledge that. I think a lot of us sit around and all we do is read, and listen to, and watch all the happy things and wonder why is our life not like this? Why are we not happy? Why are we going through something so painful, and nobody wants to talk about it? Nobody understands. But I think the reality is a lot of us understand, we just don’t want to admit it.

If just one person feels understood while reading this post today, I think I did something right.

I’m not going to tell you it’s all going to be OK, everything’s going to work out, and this is just a bump in the road on your path to something great, because you already know that – I don’t need to tell you, people have already told you this. I just think some of us deserve a moment to feel heard even if it’s uncomfortable and nobody wants to face it. We deserve to not feel so alone in a world that wants to drown out the sadness. I wish more people would find a way to accept pain as it is, not as a cry for help, but to let it be recognized. We live in a society where everyone feels the need to remind each other that everything is going to be fine, and to stay strong. But I just want to say, it’s OK to feel exactly how you’re feeling.

You’re heard, I hear you.

And your pain is acknowledged.

The Longest Lesson: Lessons of an Empowered Woman Written by Felicia Kopec