Take a deep breath in...one, two, three...and breathe out...one, two, three.

Sometimes all you need is a short moment like this to collect yourself when you feel like you're losing your mind. There are so many things weighing us every single day. Problems with school, family, relationships and so much more sometimes have the power to physically break you. Combine more than one of these problems and the stress can be so painful that you may not know what to do or where to go.

And that is okay. Though it sounds cliché, life is not supposed to be easy. You cannot have good times without the bad, otherwise the good times wouldn't really seem so good.

It is okay if you need some time to let your guard down for just a bit. It is completely normal to feel that way. Everyone needs and deserves some times to fall apart in order to put themselves back together. It is not weak and it is not embarassing. Believe it or not, everyone falls apart some time or other, no matter how hard they may try to hide it. There is no way you can ever figure anything out without taking some time to yourself to think about what you really need and what you deserve.

It is okay to ask for help. Part of being human is interacting with others, so try to remember what a blessing it is to have friends and family to do this with! They are there for you to lean on when you need something. Even if you don't have a question or a story to tell, it's always good to simply talk to them about what you are feeling. You may not notice it at the time, but talking about anything or nothing at all will help you cope with whatever stress you are dealing with.

It is okay to take time to be alone. No one will be mad at you for being distant. Everyone needs a little break sometimes to get away from everything and be alone with their thoughts. It's hard to think sometimes with all the commotion going on in your life.

It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to drop the optimistic, cheery attitude you may aways radiate. You are not a burden to anyone for having the feelings that you do. Everyone is struggling with something, but it's time to realize what you need to do for yourself. It's easy to forget to take care of yourself first, but it is extremely crucial that you do so in order to ever be in a better place.

It may be hard to deal with your thoughts head on, but it is the only way to ever move on from whatever bad place you may be in. Everyone needs to remember to not be okay sometimes. Don't put off you feelings forever and never feel ashamed of them.