You Don't Have to Be 'Okay' Every Day

Some days, you wake up already tired. Some days, you can't explain why your chest feels heavy. Some days you feel sick.

And that is completely okay.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. - Rainer Maria Rilke

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We are living in a world where we are constantly expected to smile, show up, perform, and act as if everything is under control. But many of us carry weights and thoughts that we don't really know how to express. We are often pressured to seem 'fine' - for others. Even to ourselves. We tell ourselves to act 'normal' so we do not worry anyone. We push through discomfort because we do not want to seem weak. Most people are carrying something. Most people have days were they feel tired, confused, lost, and empty. We just do not talk about it openly, which leads to people learning to show strength instead of practicing gentleness.

The pressure to seem 'okay' is not a sign that something is wrong with us, but rather a sign that the world has not learned how to hold emotional honesty. Yet.

The truth is simple: Being human means that you will not feel the same every day. Humans' emotions shift, energy rises and dips. Your mind has its own tides - it darts from task to task.

When I accept myself just as I am, then I can change - Carl Rogers

Acceptance does not mean giving up; it means permitting yourself to be real.

You do not have to be constantly productive.

You do not have to pretend that your mind is empty when it is not.

You do not have to explain your emotions to justify them.

There are days that are slow. There are days that are heavy. They both have one thing in common - they both belong to your life.

I am certain that you are doing the best you can, even in those pesky moments when it feels like you are not. And even on those days that you are not okay, you are still worthy of softness, patience, and care.