By Megan Rothney
You have permission
To fall apart and be imperfect.
To have a bad a day.
To cry on the bathroom floor.
To lose your cool here and there or accidentally misdirect anger.
To not have a good parenting day.
You have permission
To forget your kids’ band recital and not beat yourself up over it.
To spend a day crying or lounging in bed.
To not play board games with your kids today because you are tired or fed up.
To not make a three-course meal for your family.
You have permission
To order in pizza.
To miss work just because you want to be alone.
To make yourself the priority.
To parent from the couch on a lazy day.
To stay in your pajamas and let your kids do the same.
You have permission
To not volunteer at your child’s school.
To take antidepressants if you and your doctor decide that you would benefit from it.
To make a choice that others don’t agree with or understand.
You have permission
To make mistakes.
To grab a self-help book and grow.
To say no when someone asks a favor of you.
You have permission
To set your own boundaries and reinforce them when someone crosses them.
To seek professional help if and when you need it.
To ask for help from friends and family when you’re struggling.
You have permission
To outgrow people in your life.
To put your feet up and leave the dirty dishes for tomorrow.
To hire a housekeeper.
What you don’t have permission for is to stay stuck in a bad place.
These are all valid feelings and experiences.
No one is exempt from them, they are unavoidable.
We need to remember that in these low moments, we must take the time for ourselves to regain the motivation to get back up and try again by working on our mental health every single day.
You need to ask for help. We all need to ask for help.
Most of our feelings or experiences aren’t all that unique, it’s just that few people have the courage to speak about them.
Life is a continuous journey of learning that would be so much more enjoyable if people would stop shaming and judging other people (and themselves.)
We are all in this together and it’s much easier to love others when we can learn to love ourselves first.
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