As a young person, I think we all strive to portray a certain image. We all try to appear carefree all the time, like nothing or no one can ever phase us. It's like admitting that you're hurt or sad or stressed or tired is a bad thing--emotions that should be suppressed and not shown or accepted. We all want to make it seem as if we constantly lead successful, easy, perfectly happy lives.

Well, I am not okay with that.

I mean if you really stop and think about it, what are you trying to hide? Is it worth it to mask your pain just to save a little face? Does holding it all inside actually help you begin to deal and cope with the problems you are facing? I truly don't think so.

I have recently been dealing with some things that have been weighing me down more than I'd care to admit. While I have tried my hardest to work through them by simply not acknowledging them, I have realized that this is just not the way problems should be handled.

So I am here to say this all out loud: I am totally stressed out from school. I am getting over some really difficult heartbreak. I have had to say goodbye to people who I love. I do not have perfect relationships with my all of my friends. I am sleep deprived, I am anxious and I am dealing with more than I feel like I can handle.

But you know what? That's okay. Because it is perfectly okay not to be okay.

That's how life goes. Sometimes things just suck. Sometimes people are mean. Sometimes it seems like nothing is going your way and it feels like it's all going to be way too much for you.

But then, when you least expect it, things just will start to go right.

That's really the beauty of it all. Don't you see? We have to hurt. We have to experience what it's like when things go wrong and deal with that pain and struggle so when things finally do go right it will mean that much more.

Now I don't want you to get the wrong idea here. I am so extremely blessed and I never take the life I have for granted. I know how lucky I am to lead the life that I do and to have what I have.

I guess all I want to say is that everyone experiences hard times. Everyone hurts and everyone cries. There is no shame in admitting to rejection, fear, sadness or incapability. We must accept these things if we ever want to truly grow.

So I want everyone to know that no matter who you are or what you are dealing with, it is okay to feel these things. From the most devastating heartbreak to the pain of losing loved ones to simply being exhausted from school or work or life in general, the feelings we all have are real and should be acknowledged always.

So yes, it's okay not to be okay all the time. Because I promise you just when you think that things will never be right again, in the blink of an eye everything will finally truly be okay again.