As a human being, especially in today’s society, we’re taught to hold in our emotions, otherwise we come off as “too soft” or something. But, in today’s society there are more people than ever dealing with mental health issues and addiction.

YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BE LOW!!!!!

Don’t let anyone drill into your head that you’re not. Your suffering isn’t any worse or better than anyone else! Do your best to be mindful of your emotions.

Those of us suffering with mental health issues, our low points can hit us like we’ve been hit by a car. We’re doing okay, maybe having a great time even, and then all of a sudden we get slammed with this overwhelming feeling of sadness, anger, guilt perhaps, a sinking feeling that buries itself deep within our bodies.

As much as we HATE having these low points hit, we’re allowed and entitled to them. Those around us, who love and care, will have to be patient and bare with us as we try and cope with whatever we happen to be dealing with.

If we don’t allow ourselves to be low, these feelings will keep festering into further darkness and it’s hard to say what they can turn into. For someone battling drug and/or alcohol addiction, it could mean possible overdose or worse. For someone with a food addiction, like myself, it can mean checking the scale and seeing that your recent hard work has “gone to shit since you gained” and it can spiral into further darkness and more bad habits can start to take over.

No matter what someone is going through, one of the worse things to say is,”we all have bad days.” Yes, that may be true, but to the person who’s battling mental health, for them every day can be a “bad day,” and we’re lucky when we get what may pass for a half decent day.

Everyone is different. Everyone suffers differently. Those with “invisible” physical illnesses may be battling the emotional along with their physical. For someone battling both, having someone else tell them, “oh, you’re fine, I see nothing wrong,” it can put a huge damper into their recovery and well-being.

Just dragging yourself out of bed is a battle, and when you do so, it can sometimes be the only victory for the day. When someone puts that down, they put down that victory. Then we just think, “why did I bother getting out of bed then?”

If someone close to you managed to get out of bed, but still feel really low, congratulate them on their victory. Give them a hug. Tell them they’re allowed to be low and you’re right there when they need you.

Life is war. We all fight little battles each day to survive. Some are more difficult than others. It’s okay to lose a battle, as long as you try your best to fight as hard as you can. That’s all you can do. Even at your lowest point, as long as you’re going down fighting, you’re still winning the war.