Shed the Shame

Hear me out on this one today…

It’s okay to NOT be okay.

Now, this might seem different from my normal Monday posts, and it might seem counterproductive to self-care, wellness, SEL, and all the good vibes I usually write about. But, it’s actually not. It’s essential to understand, validate, and accept our feelings – the good AND the bad – and the start of the week is a good time for anything.

Not being okay doesn’t mean you are ungrateful. It doesn’t mean you are a negative person. It just means you are normal and you are human. Yes, every human has those moments, situations, or days (maybe even longer).

Don’t resist feeling off. You (WE) don’t have to be strong all the time. It seems that more often than not we are conditioned to reach a level of “okayness.” But why? Why should we push our true, authentic feelings aside?

There is actually such a thing called “toxic positivity.” Toxic positivity dismisses our regular (and normal) emotions. It pushes us/leaves us feeling as if people should always have a positive mindset. Now, I am ALL about being positive, but I realize we can’t see every single situation in a good light. There are, quite simply, some situations that bring us down. We just can’t put a positive spin on some things.

Here’s a little personal story. I have been in my profession for 23+ years. I have always stayed late (welllll beyond contract hours), spent most of my paycheck on my classroom, studied to earn my Masters Degree, went back to get 30 additional post-masters credits in SEL, and volunteered for everything and anything. I still approach each day with the same passion – but I am being overlooked and dismissed more often than seems fair. I have tried to see the positive in this, but I simply can NOT. I am feeling deflated, and guess what – that is okay. I am allowed to feel this way.

You see, the self-care and wellness part of not feeling okay is this:
We must grow to love ourselves (the yucky days and all).
We must accept our feelings and know they are normal.
We must forgive ourselves for the bad days.
We must be good to ourselves – know when to give yourself some grace.

So, friends…I leave you with this. I hope you are feeling FABULOUS today, but if you aren’t remember:

Sending you good vibes! We can ALWAYS use those.
~S~