You wake up in the morning and hop out of bed the second you alarm goes off. Peak out the window, the sun is shining, it’s going to be a beautiful day. Sure you’ve got a packed schedule ahead, but you’re ready for whatever today will hold! At least, that’s what you you’re telling yourself, right? When really that alarm goes off and you want more than anything to snooze it. You see that it’s sunny and still you don’t have the motivation to put on anything but sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt. Most days you can shove it all to the back of your mind and pretend like everything is fine. But even then – is it really fine?
I’m here to tell you that it’s not always fine, but guess what? That’s okay. It is okay to not be okay. Did you read that last sentence, and I mean really read it? Just in case, here it is again; it is okay to not be okay. It isn’t an easy lesson to learn and I myself am just brushing the surface of understanding it, but I think it’s important to acknowledge.
There are a million and one different types of people in the world who all might read and take this lesson differently and that’s okay. The important thing is that even if this isn’t something you are struggling with right now, know that the person next to you, your neighbor down the hall, or even your best friend you talk to every day could be struggling with this.
Perhaps the most important part to remember with this lesson is that it’s okay to ask for help. Whoever it is that you feel like you want or even can ask – please ask them. If it’s your mom, your brother, your roommate, or the stranger down the hall, just ask. Anyone who cares about you that you approach with something you genuinely need help with or need to talk about is going to do everything in their power to help you out. You would do the same for them, wouldn’t you?
Sometimes that’s part of the lesson too. You can’t always help everyone around you if you’re not okay yourself. Trust me, I get that you want to be that person that is there for everyone else, but how can you really be helpful if you have something stressing you out? Maybe this time you have to see that you are the one who has to take a second to have a vent session or cry on your best friends shoulder at random hours of the night.
This part of the lesson is the one that I think it the most challenging, so listen up. You are not a burden to those around you. Remember the lesson here – it’s okay to not be okay. No one is going to blame you for that. Everyone has a right to have a down day or even week sometimes, but it’s all about how you pick yourself back up. Accepting that you need to ask for help and do something about it is half the battle, but I believe that you can do it.
I’ll leave you with this – you are not alone in this struggle and I think you already know that! Asking for help, knowing when to take time for yourself, and realizing that people around you truly care about you are all things that will help you feel a lot better. If you’re at a point right now where you’re not okay – that’s okay. Just remember that someday, somehow it’s up to you on how you pick yourself back up and get on the road to being okay.
