It’s okay to not be okay has become a catchy phrase of no judgement that people have really used to reinforce acceptance and empathy towards mental health in recent years. While I love that this cultural shift has been more evident in people’s belief system, values and their social media behavior I still think that it’s okay to not be okay still needs some more support.
I don’t think the attention needs to be on a societal stance on mental health as we work on becoming more proactive and vocal as a community but rather the need for more grounding around this from the individual.. from within.
More often than not I see someone (me included) who thinks they are either a) not entitled to have baggage or b) believes they aren’t in the position to show vulnerability or raw emotion given their context.
“Oh but I’m a guy”, “oh but I’m a Mum and my kids need me”, “oh but I can’t afford to be off given my job”... what’s your excuse?
Sometimes the universe gives us signs that we just need to put a sign up on our door of life that says “Be back soon”.
I think what you do in this time is critical.
Before any stage of self evolution we have a tendency to get real uncomfortable, perhaps make some out of character moves and engage in some decision making that future you would give past you a real beating for.
And then you find yourself at a point where you realise, everything is not okay, things need to be addressed, you’ve got some unpacking to do and you get to work, on the next version of you.
So don’t ignore the signs, don’t sit in discomfort and preach as part of an accepting society that it’s okay not to be okay but then not give yourself permission to mentally clock off and reconstruct your mindset. Life keeps happening when you press pause but the roots of worries don’t go away. It’s so important to be honest with yourself if you’re burning the candle at both ends.
A burn out can look like:
- Little to no motivation.
- Poor sleeping patterns
- Emotionally taxed and overwhelmed
- Anxiety and depression symptoms
- Edgy and easily triggered
- Tiredness and exhaustion
Give yourself the green light to recharge, your battery can be saved but a dead engine won’t take you anywhere.
