While some people may brush over the topic or find it uncomfortable, taking the time to understand what you’re feeling is important.

 Over the last six months, a lot has happened in my life that has made me realize I need to slow down, process what I’m feeling, and realize that it’s okay not to be okay.

 Two of my friends from school were in a car accident, and one of them died. The other has faced major injuries and has been recovering since then.

 I finished my master’s and realized I didn’t have anything else planned. That was it; my years in education were over. I had no more time to procrastinate; this was it. I moved back home with my parents after living away from them for the last four years and didn’t have a set plan or long-term goal.

 We put our almost fifteen-year-old black Labrador down, and it felt like a great loss in our family.

My brother split up with his girlfriend, and he’s been struggling in the aftermath with how different she’s been acting and showing a nasty side of herself.

 My auntie on my dad’s side of the family has been given less than a year to live. My dad doesn’t like to show his emotions, but we can all tell it’s really hitting him hard.

While I’m not writing any of this to get sympathy or complain about my problems, I’m just realizing that I have a lot going on. So does everyone. We don’t know how people we meet every day are struggling with their own challenges in life. And it’s hard to imagine exactly how someone else is feeling when you aren’t facing the same thing.

Some people may find what I’ve been facing silly or unimportant, but it’s the struggles that I’m personally facing, and writing about them is a way to help me face and validate what’s been going on.

 Sometimes, it’s okay to realize that you might need a minute to stop. To cry. To scream. Or to just have a day to do all of the things that you enjoy and help give you a sense of peace and control in your life. Take a mental health day and know that you’re allowed to struggle and be upset with what’s going on.

 Life is hard. Sometimes, it’s a lot, and it’s okay to give yourself permission to be upset about things or angry about how unfair everything is. We all find our own ways to cope. Some work while others find distractions until they hit a breaking point. They catch up with us at some point. We are allowed to feel what we feel; we don’t have to justify it to anyone.

 If we bottle up our feelings like society expects us to, then no one will ever learn that there are struggles. Men and women deal with things differently, and that is okay as well. I just hope that when they need to, they get their feelings out to someone before they burst.

 So do your worst. Cry, scream, laugh, or shout. Whatever gets you through the day. Allow yourself to feel your feelings, and maybe things will feel a little better.

This was written by our contributing writer, Shanai Besst.