There’s a Korean drama I watched sometime back called It’s Okay to Not Be Okay that beneath its beautiful storytelling, explores emotional pain, childhood wounds, family, love and healing. At the centre of the story is a man who has spent much of his life caring for others, particularly his older brother, while quietly neglecting his own emotions. Along the way, he meets a woman carrying wounds of her own, and together the characters slowly learn that healing doesn’t mean pretending the pain never existed. Sometimes, it begins with finally allowing yourself to feel it.

And maybe that’s why the title stayed with me.

It’s okay to not be okay.

How often do we say “I’m fine” when we’re anything but fine?

Sometimes we can’t even explain what we’re feeling. We just know something feels heavy. We might feel disconnected, overwhelmed, lonely, emotional or exhausted for reasons we cannot quite put into words.

And instead of allowing ourselves to feel it, we often question it.

Why am I feeling like this? I should be grateful. Other people have it worse. I’ll be fine.

But gratitude and sadness can exist together. You can love your life and still feel lost sometimes. You can laugh with people and still carry something quietly inside. You can be healing and still have days when old emotions find their way back.

As a single mum, this is something I have had to remind myself of too. There are times when I feel like I need to keep myself together because others depend on me. But I’m learning that strength doesn’t mean being emotionally untouched by life. I can be strong for my children while still allowing myself to feel.

Maybe instead of always asking ourselves “What’s wrong with me?”, we should ask something gentler:

Do I need rest? Do I need to talk? Do I need to cry? Do I need quiet? Do I need to make du’a, reconnect with Allah (SWT) and hand over the things my heart has been trying so hard to carry?

Maybe we need to stop treating every difficult emotion as something we must immediately fix or hide.

Some feelings simply need to be felt.

Some days are going to be harder than others.

And on those days, perhaps the kindest thing we can tell ourselves is………I don’t have to pretend today. It’s okay to not be okay ❤️