It’s okay not to be okay

The urge to “be okay” is probably most pronounced when it comes to raising or working with kids.

For everyone within earshot, it’s preferable to achieve immediate behavior modification (i.e. end the tantrum, stop the crying or whining, etc.).

But if all we focus on is behavior modification — stop crying, don’t yell, put on a smile — we create a world where difficult emotions are the enemy and acting right is all that matters.

Then as adults, it’s no longer okay not to be okay.

But emotions are indicators of deeper issues. If we stifle our emotions, we won’t be able to address the underlying challenges (and ignoring them never makes them disappear).

Of course, we can’t allow our lives to be ruled by emotion, but we must acknowledge what we’re feeling and get to the root cause.

We have to get to a place where it’s okay not to be okay. That means allowing ourselves to sit with difficult emotions so we can go deeper.

Today I needed to be reminded that it’s okay not to be okay.

Maybe you do, too.