You know what I love hearing but am also really freaking tired of hearing...?

"You're so strong"

"You're such a strong person"

Or really, any variation of that.

Like, I get it; it's great- thanks, Rascal Flatts. But, for once, I'd really rather not be strong.

Life sometimes is just HARD, okay? Problems happen, some people suck, and sometimes whole weeks feel like Mondays. I'm usually not one to stray too far from the trail of optimism, but you know what, I could use this colorful little change in my life.

Being strong is great, don't get me wrong; I'm definitely not here to advocate for letting depression win or anything like that, but I am here to say that sometimes, IT'S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK.

Friends, it's okay to not be okay. At least for a little while.

I think that some of the truly strongest people in this world are the way they are because they can admit to having their own limits. If you have the expectation held over your head that you need to be cheerful, smiley, composed, successful, and have your life together 24/7, you're doing yourself a HUGE disservice (or whoever has that expectation of you is doing you one).

Just because you chose to nap all day, actually eat that whole bag of Cheetos, exchange that salad for a piece of pizza, impulse buy some cool new stuff, make a bad call on a haircut, cancel plans with a friend, etc., does not mean that you've failed.

Do me a favor, give yourself a break. When I was growing up, my mom would let me skip school sometimes for "mental health days". I will never not be thankful to her for doing that for me. In giving me those days, she allowed me to learn to fact that you don't have to fake it every day. You don't have to force yourself out of bed, slap a smile and some make up on your face, and go through the day trying to be this impossible image of a perfect student, perfect daughter, perfect friend. Sometimes, you can just stay in bed and be okay the next day.

For once in my life, I don't want to be in a situation where I have to have everything together and be "strong"; unfortunately, life doesn't always care about what you want. So, while the waves keep rolling in, maybe instead of fighting the riptide and swimming for shore, we can go scuba diving for a while. Maybe we can just ride this one out. Maybe we can just sit on the couch and be fluffs while the world falls around us.

Maybe that's okay, too.