Just Because You’re Strong Doesn’t Mean You Always Have To Be Okay

Struggles teach us how to be strong. Failures teach us to get up and stand firm. Success teaches us to keep going and strive for more. In this so called life, we learn from our experiences. Experiences that make us tough as we move along. And most of the time, these experiences harden our hearts, because we thought that was how life was supposed to be. That we need to be brave at all times. That there is no room for crybabies. We thought tears were just for the weak and a manifestation of failure, so we needed to be okay all the time.

But at some point in time, you will feel tired. Sometimes you just want to break down and cry. It is as if you are a candle melting. But you are clinging to that thought that everybody needs you to be brave because they are counting on you. And they admire your courage, and shedding tears is not an option. Most of the time you are hiding your pain under those smiles on your lips, but your eyes are the real reflection of what you are feeling and what you are going through. Because if they can only see you through, deep inside this heart of stone is a heart that is full of emotions. Emotions that you keep hiding for the people you love, for the people whose source of strength is you.

As you move forward, you’ve learned how to fake it. Whenever they ask how you are, you can easily say “I’m okay!” with conviction. Even those who are close to you will believe that everything within you is just fine, even though the truth is your world is already shaking. Yes, you are as strong as everybody expects you to be. But have you ever asked yourself how it feels to be comforted by the people you love? How it feels like to be wrapped in their arms while telling them your fears and worries? What it feels like to admit that you are not okay at all?

My dear, believe me when I say that it’s okay not to be okay. Shedding tears does not mean you are weak or you are a failure. When everything is fading and it seems like life is so unkind and everything is not falling into the right place, it’s okay to cry. It’s just fine to say that you are not okay. Because maybe this is what you need to be okay again and exactly what you need to move forward in life. Remember, your weaknesses do not define you. As Howie Day sings in his song Collide, “Even the best fall down sometimes.” Don’t be so harsh on yourself. Cry if you must, but after that, make sure to get up and keep going, because the true measure of bravery is not about how many times you win in this battle of life but rather how many times you get up every time you stumble and fall.