It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
The Weight of “I’m Fine”
Ah, sorry for this—I’ve heard it a thousand times: “It’s okay to not be okay.”
We repeat it to others. We whisper it to ourselves. But do we believe it?
Once, someone told me, “You’re funny—who hurt you?” And I realized something: pain doesn’t always show up as tears. Sometimes, it looks like a joke. A smile. A well-timed distraction.
We wear our masks, pretending the world isn’t falling apart behind our eyes.
We lie—just a white lie—when we say, “I’m okay,” even when we’re not. Because we don’t want to burden the people we love. Because being honest feels heavier than pretending.
But here’s the truth behind that familiar phrase: you don’t have to be okay all the time.
And even when it feels like it, you’re not alone. Never alone.
It’s Okay to Fall Apart
We adapt. We cope. Some of us bury our wounds; others show them and grow. We hide, but never from ourselves.
We don’t have to be strong every single day.
We’re allowed to break down. We’re allowed to fall apart. As Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
We weren’t born to carry pain, but we learn to. We survive—not because we have to, but because we must. For our dreams. For the future that still calls our name.
Grief, Healing, and the Power of Pause
I say this from experience. The tragedies, the losses, the wishes I thought I needed—they led me here. Halfway to where I’m meant to be.
It’s okay to stay in bed for a day or two. To seek solitude. To sit with your grief, your heartbreak, your never-ending goodbyes. Losing someone hurts in ways no language can hold.
But these are just memories now. We fight through them. We live.
The Quiet Battle Within
Adapting to change takes courage. Some days, I’m on the edge of giving up. Other days, I fight harder.
Did I make it here alone? Never.
The people I love, the stories I read, the books and films that held me—they carried me. But it wasn’t always like this. Some days, even light and sound were too much. Some days, I couldn’t imagine that pain would ever go away.
But here I am. Still here.
You’re Allowed to Pause—Just Don’t Give Up
We’ve all felt defeated. We’ve all asked, “How will I survive this?”
But you will.
You’re a warrior. You’ve survived every storm so far. You’re allowed to pause.
But don’t give up.
When pain hits, we panic. We forget that nothing is permanent. The hurt feels huge, but then it fades. We adapt. But it’s also human to want to stay still, even when we know movement is life.
You Choose How You Live
We don’t always get to choose our circumstances. But we do choose how we respond.
Preparing for a better tomorrow is an act of courage.
And believing the world won’t get better? That’s a lie we tell ourselves when we’re tired of hoping.
Avoiding risk isn’t living. Falling? Failing? Feeling? They’re all part of the process. What matters is getting up again. Not immediately, but eventually.
The Power of Gentle Words
Advice is easy. But real help? It comes from gentleness.
Sometimes, the best thing isn’t to say, “Are you okay?” but to sit in silence. To say, “Hang in there.” To let someone cry without asking them to stop.
In a crisis, words often fail. But presence? Presence can heal.
Sometimes, they just need your shoulder. Not your solutions.
Not Alone, Never Alone
Right now, the world is hard. Globally. Personally.
When someone shares their pain with us, we need to listen. Not compare, not fix. Just be there.
Some wounds don’t need solutions. They just need space.
Because knowing we’re not alone brings comfort—even when nothing else makes sense.
In the End, Love Saves Us
We’re all trying to be okay. We’re all doing our best.
And people grow when we believe in them. When we say: you’ve survived everything so far—why not this, too?
Sometimes, love is the only thing that saves us.
And that’s enough.
By Cosette Awad
https://www.instagram.com/cosetteawad.author
English 
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