It's OK to not be OK

Just putting this out there: It’s OK to not be OK.

Really. It is.

Yesterday I helped my 15-year-old beagle, Beatrix, cross the Rainbow Bridge. Today I got up and looked at my swollen eyes, and thought about covering them up and simply pushing through the day at work. I walked downstairs to start a cup of coffee and a wave of loss rushed over me as I realized my Bea bunny wasn’t following me down the stairs.

Covering up my grief and putting on a happy mask wasn’t going to help me. What I needed was to feel, to take one more day and just be. So, I am. And that’s OK. Because I know that allowing myself to not be OK is growth. It’s normal. We don’t always have to trudge on and fake it until we make it. We need to cry, to laugh, to grieve, to feel the pain. We need to know that this isn’t a sign of weakness.

I believe that letting ourselves feel the emotions that we have, instead of pushing them down, may be just what we need to learn how to move forward.

My message to you today is to check in with how you are feeling and to give yourself grace. And if you are struggling with how to do that, seek out a friend, family member, colleague, or a counselor. Just as it’s not weak to not be OK, it’s also not a sign of weakness to need help with your mental health. I seek help from counselors when I need it and I encourage you to do the same.

Be well, friends. You are loved. You matter.