It Is Ok To Not Be Ok

Sadness, an emotion that is familiar yet so eluded. The saying that “its ok to not be ok” has had its fair share of posts on inspirational pages. At first glance, it is just another cheeky overused quote. However, I have come to think of it as a lot more than just that. In fact, it has truly changed my perception of life and has greatly impacted my overall happiness. Thus, it is my honour to dedicate this first blog post to the emotion of sadness in hopes of normalizing that it is ok to not be ok.

In the fast-paced world that we live in, we often forget that feeling sad is just another part of life. Every day goes by so quickly that we don't have enough time to think of our worries. We just put on a fake smile and continue living until one day, the pressure and sadness run us over. Recently, quarantine has drastically slowed down our lives. This has given me more than enough time to think about myself, the world and society as a whole. I have come to realize that it is ok to not be ok; to be sad for absolutely no reason. We as humans have such complex emotions and with everything going on around us, it is perfectly fine to feel down. As a matter of fact, there is so much hate and violence surrounding us that it is more difficult to feel happy than unhappy at times but that's a discussion for a later blog…

I grew up thinking that sadness meant negativity and vulnerability. Of course, being happy is a much more wonderful emotion, but don’t we need to feel sad at times to value the joyful moments? Some days I wake up not wanting to interact with people for absolutely no reason. I ignore texts, calls, conversations and overthink all my problems. I think about how miserable my life is. Other times, I become unhappy over the smallest thing, which leads to exasperation as I was sad over such an inconsequential problem. This vicious cycle of talking myself down comes down to my negative perspective of sadness. Now, I have learned that it's ok for small things to break you down. You have the right to be down no matter the root of your sadness. The breakdowns that you encounter during life do not define your worth nor your strength.

My biggest advice is to embrace those difficult times. Allow yourself to cry a river. You have to let it out because one day, a fake smile will no longer be enough. Slowly, I have come to learn the importance of facing reality. Indeed, taking a night to confront your sadness is better than neglecting it. I’ve realized that the longer I pretend to be fine, the harder it is for me when the time comes to face the truth. For the longest time, I believed that by drowning my sadness beneath my conscious mind, I would forget about the negative emotions. However, it only stimulated the emergence of a dark gloomy cloud above my head. Thus, I began finding ways to face the situations that made me feel unhappy. I discovered that talking to someone is very much easier said than done. Some things are just too difficult to share with others. An alternative solution is to talk to an object or a wall. It might sound silly but try it out before assuming anything. It has helped me sort my thoughts out and easily notice the cause and actions led by my emotions. If you do not believe in talking to inanimate objects, writing down the events and your feelings helps to obtain the same benefits. Moreover, taking time for yourself is just as important as facing your obstacles. Allow yourself to relax and be lazy. Don’t think of the busy day ahead as you need to take some time alone before stepping back into your turbulent lifestyle. Some activities to help you regain mental strength include hiking, meditating and swimming. Personally, I like throwing my own private concert. There is something very soothing about singing my heart out by letting my emotions speak for themselves through the rhythm and harmonies of various songs. Lastly, I suggest going to a smash/break room. These particular locations allow you to break items such as plates, TVs and cabinets to relieve your sorrow. Look out for future blog posts where we go in detail about the benefits of these activities!

Sadness in our society is seen as a weakness… Let's change that!