It’s Okay to Feel what You’re Feeling

The devastation of the pandemic surrounds us. The headlines are consuming, death tolls rise, people are losing their jobs, shelter in place deadlines have been extended. This season has been hard. Sometimes hard in exactly the ways we expected, other times hard in surprising ways. 

How I first imagined using this time social distancing has had to change and evolve as news and my own reactions have changed (translation: I have NOT cleaned my baseboards). The effects of this pandemic are hitting everyone, and it affects people differently depending on different stages of life, personality types, family structures, socioeconomic status, occupation, living alone or with others, what was already going on in your life, etc. 

It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling. 

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.

It’s okay to feel at peace.

It’s okay to feel anxious.

It’s okay to feel angry.

It’s okay to feel okay.

It’s okay to enjoy extra time with family.

It’s okay to be struggling with extra time with family.

It’s okay to need a break.

It’s okay to wish you were with others.

It’s okay to wish you could be alone.

It’s okay to have a different reaction than others.

It’s okay to love these extra video calls.

It’s okay to be totally over these video calls.

It’s okay to be productive.

It’s okay to not check stuff off your list.

It’s okay to feel freedom from what was draining in your normal schedule.

It’s okay to really miss your normal schedule.

It’s okay to embrace growth in this time.

It’s okay to embrace survival in this time.

It’s okay to set boundaries.

It’s okay to not use your perfect coping skills all the time.

It’s okay to show up the best you can that day.

It’s okay to loosen screen time rules.

It’s okay to laugh.

It’s okay to cry.

It’s okay to practice gratitude.

It’s okay to grieve.

It’s okay to hold perspective for those who are suffering differently.

It’s okay to be disappointed about the plans that have been cancelled or postponed.

It’s okay to hold your losses, big and small.

It’s okay to take a break from the news.

It’s okay to stay informed.

It’s okay to feel like your life hasn’t changed very much.

It’s okay to be devastated by how much your life has changed.

It’s okay to exercise.

It’s okay to rest.

It’s okay to listen to your body.

It’s okay to create a routine that works for you.

It’s okay to veer from that routine.

It’s okay to bake, cook, and love being in the kitchen.

It’s okay to eat what you can manage.

It’s okay to feel anxious about financial realities.

It’s okay to release those anxieties.

It’s okay to feel stretched.

It’s okay to feel uncomfortable.

It’s okay to adjust your expectations, or ask for adjusted expectations from others.

It’s okay to not be a great homeschool teacher (or student).

It’s okay to feel busier than usual.

It’s okay to feel bored.

It’s okay to have a different experience than others.

It’s okay to help others.

It’s okay to need to focus on yourself. 

It’s okay to hold onto hope.

It’s okay if you need to borrow hope from others because you can’t find any yourself.

It’s okay to use this time to creatively try something new.

It’s okay to not have the energy to change much.

It’s okay to realize some hard stuff is being triggered by this time.

It’s okay to acknowledge your feelings.

It’s okay that your feelings change.

It’s okay to not be sure what you are feeling.

It’s okay to ask for help.

I often tell my clients the best news about feelings is that they are temporary, they will subside in time. We are all responsible for our second thought and our first reaction. So feel your feelings, and take responsibility for what you do with them.

If you need some support during this time. reach out. It’s okay.