It’s Okay To Look How You Feel

Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don’t lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.

Sabaa Tahir

Hey, Lovelies.

Thanks for your wonderful comments here on the blog and over on Facebook and Instagram in response to yesterday’s post, where I shared K’s message that was designed to help me look less ‘old and tired’.

I wanted to back that up with an important reminder. It’s okay to look how you feel. If you’re tired, then it’s normal to look tired. Perhaps you are unwell, or stressed. Let it show on your face. Joyful or madly in love? Let your smile light up the world.

If someone asks you how you are? Don’t say ‘I’m fine’, if you are not. Say ‘I’m tired today’, or ‘I’m struggling a bit’, or some other simple thing that honestly states how you are. It’s your truth. And that’s okay.

At a time where we are all under stress with COVID and this strange new world that 2020 has become, it only adds more of a mental burden to hide your feelings. It’s an outmoded and dangerous practice that can erode your health and steal your sense of self.

Hiding your true feelings comes at a high cost. When you hide or bottle up your emotions they become stronger, and they last longer. This contributes to higher levels of anxiety, depression, dissociation and addiction.

Let it be okay to feel your feelings. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Give yourself and others the gift of being able to be truthful about what is happening for you from moment to moment. Don’t know how to do that? Slow down. Breathe. Tune in. Ask yourself how you feel. Pay attention to your body, and listen to your own thoughts and mood. Know that it is normal to have ‘down days’ and negative emotions – it’s part of being human.

Live with integrity, and honour your feelings. Stay true to yourself. That’s a powerful way to be, and one that will help you cope better with whatever life throws at you.

Sending so much love your way, Nicole xx