Who else needed to see this today? Go ahead, raise your hand… Times are tough and we know that 2020 has had more change, chaos, devastation, and uncertainty than previous years. Some are able to just roll with it and man, I’m jealous of you! Others are hanging in there but could be better. Then there are those that may be hanging on by fraying threads and – here is the important sentence for us all to remember – it is okay. We don’t have to power through or hide behind our masks pretending to be amazing when we aren’t. Accept that you aren’t okay, and free yourself to take the support of those around you. Maybe that looks like a walk around the office with a coworker so you aren’t alone with your thoughts. Maybe it’s allowing someone cook a meal for you or watch your kids so you can take an extra-long shower. Maybe admitting you aren’t okay is all the help you needed because now it’s out there and you don’t have to fake it anymore. Just imagine, the weight of the burden gone because someone else knows that you are doing your best. You’ve just given someone else the freedom to share that they aren’t okay, too. There is nothing wrong with not being okay. It means we are human, we are real, and we have a light at the end of the tunnel because this will change… things getting better is inevitable.

Sarah Deats

Sarah Deats is a Behavioral Health Technician at RI International and the Hope Inc. Stories Inspiration Engineer.