To The Person Who Says “I’m okay.”
Please stop. Please stop saying “I’m okay” because I know that you are far from being okay. I know that you’re using that phrase to cover up the pain you feel inside. I know that there is some circumstance or maybe even multiple circumstances which are eating you alive inside. Maybe it’s the friend who you thought would always be there for you who ended up turning his/her back on you when times got tough. Maybe it’s your ex who lied to you so much that you feel as if you don’t even know who they are. And maybe it’s even you—fighting the negative thoughts that find their way into your mind on a daily basis. I know that you feel lonely and maybe even depressed as well—trust me I’ve been there.
But you know what? It’s okay to not be okay. You don’t have to compact all of your feelings into a box and hide them away to collect dust in your closet. You don’t have to fake a smile when someone asks you the question: “How are you?” To break out the infamous words of John Green, “Pain demands to be felt.” You are not supposed to suppress your feelings inside of you until they boil over, and you have a mental breakdown. That is not healthy, and it doesn’t make the pain any better. It only causes you to fall deeper into the hole that you are slowly falling into, and if you don’t try to let your emotions out you are going to end up trapped in that hole. You are going to end up so far down in a hole that you can no longer get out of it without some major help—if you can even get out of it at all. Don’t let yourself fall into that hole. Let your emotions out and if someone asks you how you are doing—don’t try and hide it with the infamous “I’m okay.”
And trust me on this one—I know it won’t be easy to let your feelings out. I know that when you’ve been let down by people time after time that it’s hard to not just bottle up all of your emotions and just say “I’m okay.” If you’re not okay then say, “No, I’m not okay” or “I’m pretty upset right now.” Take that step and be honest with yourself—it will be the most beneficial thing for your mental health. It’s a small thing that can make all the difference.
Don’t be afraid to say, “I’m not okay.”
Love,
The Girl Who Finally Said She Wasn’t Okay
