It’s okay if the only thing you did today was get out of bed. It’s okay if you haven’t felt like yourself lately and struggle to find your worth, your passions, or your dreams. It’s okay if you’re still trying to figure out life. It is okay to not be okay.

Within our society, we’ve created a stigma around mental illnesses and it needs to end. You are allowed to cry, you are allowed to feel, and you are allowed to be yourself. If you’ve never experienced the pain or struggles of a mental illness, congratulations. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone else and I can’t expect everyone to know how this feels. One thing I do expect though, is for people to realize the seriousness of these issues.

We’re living in a world full of divided individuals who’s opinions differentiate from others’. When it comes to mental health awareness though, I’d suggest educating yourselves. Look deeper into mental health education, the facts multiple people have discovered, the amount of people around you who are going through it right now.

The saddest part of it all is that you may never know. You may never know what a certain person is struggling with because depression and anxiety, etc. are such easily hidden illnesses that can be covered up with a simple smile. An “I’m okay, just a little tired today.” Someone who laughs and smiles through the day but goes home at night and picks themselves apart piece by piece wondering why they cannot just be happy.

Some of the strongest people I know have been the ones who have walked through hell and back out on the other side. The strongest people I know have lived in a world that is not so kind to them, with a mind that is also not too kind to them. The strongest people I know don’t have to be mentally strong every single second of the day. The strong ones are the ones who walk through fire and don’t let it burn.

Stop allowing others to ridicule you for who you are, how you think, what you stand for, or just simply not having a good day, month, year, etc. I, myself, have fallen victim to mental illness and from my own experience I have learned that not everyone is going to understand you, not because they can’t, but simply because they just don’t choose to understand. They don’t want to understand, they don’t want to open their eyes to the truth.

You do not have to be strong every day. You do not have to explain yourself to others. You do not have to sit back while your feelings are invalidated and brushed under the rug. If you feel like you have nobody in this world, and that nobody understands, just know that a lot of people do. Surround yourself with people who care, who help you grow, who genuinely want to see you do good and show it in kind ways. Stop wasting tears on the people who don’t care, stop crossing oceans for people who would not do the same thing for you.

Be a little kinder. Stop turning a blind eye to the fact that some of us are struggling to get out of bed in the mornings. Know the signs of mental illness, the red flags of suicidal tendencies, the cold hard truth. Mental health is not a joke. It’s not something to ignore. Spread more love.

It’s okay if all you did today was survive because that is enough. It will always be enough. I am proud of you today and every day. You are loved, you are worthy and your feelings are valid always.

It’s okay not to be okay.

-t