IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU
They say everything happens for a reason. I believe there lies only some truth within that phrase. They say challenges prepare you for the worst. That hurt makes you stronger. That grief and loss makes you resilient. However, they fail to tell you of the toughest hardship one has yet to fight through as a result of those challenges, that hurt, that grief, and that loss. A hardship that stands there tall and rigid, awaiting action and perseverance on our end - our mental health. As Marriane Williamson once said, “The top of one mountain is always the bottom of another.” Simply put - Failure, heartache, uncertainty, loss and grief are a part of life. A part of life that leaves an everlasting and devastating impact on our mental health. We succumb to a feeling of misery and a type of pain that leaves a void within us. It is inevitable. It comes and goes just as the rain. But here is where our optimism falters. If the sun can accept the rain, it can accept that it will pass and just like that it will emerge brighter and stronger as it breaks through the clouds and the gray that was left behind. It can prepare for when the rain inevitably falls again and when it does, it will allow it to fall heavy. It will accept the clouds in the gray and when it’s ready it will emerge once again. Failure is a part of life. It’s when we allow it, and accept it. That we are able to become brighter and stronger because of it. We spend our entire lives waiting until we’re entirely ready to jump off the cliff, all the while knowing we’re never going to be, but at some point we just have to be okay with being somewhat ready and jumping anyway - that’s when lessons are learned and the magic happens.
Follow the yellow brick road, they said.
I won’t lie to you, and neither will I sugarcoat it. The truth is that it doesn't get any easier. As mentioned in the aphorism, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger” comes the perception that brings about a feeling of optimism, but it’s not long before that very optimism fades. In fact, it brings about a form of toxic positivity in itself. Is it uplighting? Yes. Is it motivating? Maybe. Does it inspire one to be the best version of themselves? Possibly. But, Is it realistic? Will that individual ever be the same within? Or did that individual just witness the biggest loss of it all, themselves. Sometimes, in fact, more often, life does not follow the traditional route of healing. It takes time and patience. You could get some fresh air, travel, pick up on a new hobby, workout five days a week, distract yourself with school, socialize amongst friends and still not feel like you're at your best, and that is okay. It does not mean that you're not healing, it simply means that you're accepting of the rain. Growth is painful but nothing is more painful than staying in the same place. It’s okay if you still don’t know who you are just yet and it’s okay if you still don’t know who it is you want to be. It’s okay if you feel ashamed of who you used to be. It’s okay if you give all the right advice and don’t know how to take care of yourself and it’s okay if you feel like you love too much because there is no such thing. It’s okay if you feel uncomfortable in your own skin because one day you were going to find that the skin that you are in has never fit more beautifully. And one day you're going to see with unwavering clarity that it was every heartache, every uncertainty, every hardship and every mistake you’ve ever made that brought you right here to one day. There was always a purpose. You just have to let it find you and guide you. Life is way too fragile for you to spend a single moment being anything less than honest with yourself. Honest about who you are, who you want to be, where you want to go, what you want to do, what you wish to have. Honest about what you love, and who you love. What life you want to remember. It all starts with you.
