Lately, I've come to the realization that our society has a rather convoluted sense of accomplishment and success; we're driven by so much pride that we've all become hung up on this idea of being "strong" and how important it is to be independent, driven, and self-sufficient. While all of those qualities are important to a certain degree, it just makes me question how far we have to go in order to please others or even ourselves. Have we pushed ourselves to the point where we can no longer function? Have we become so numb to others, that we forget what it's like to just feel for a minute? I'm afraid we have and it's something I can't continue to let happen anymore.

I'm here to tell you that it's OK to be weak; there is no law that says you have to be completely together and perfect all of the time, there are no rules that say you're not allowed to broken once in a while, and there is no penalty for trying your best and being okay with that. You're not required to be the best at everything, you're not required to be the person who has their schedule so full that you barely have time to breathe. You don't have to answer to anyone but yourself and maybe that's your worst battle, your opinion of who you are.

I know, it's hard not to feel like you should be doing more all the time, giving more, helping more, but you're just a human. Try treating yourself with the same respect and gentleness that you would treat others. If a person came to you broken, tired, and in need of understanding, you wouldn't turn them away, you wouldn't judge them for trying to do their best. So, why would you treat yourself any differently? Forget about your mistakes, forget about pushing yourself to the limit, stop comparing your life to others'. Most importantly, stop worrying that other people will think less of you for just living. You can't get so hung up on this idea that you have to be strong, you have to be tough, you have to be resilient. You're a person, you have to breathe, you have to rest, you have to live your life in the best way you can.

You do not have to be completely perfect to be a complete person. Allow yourself time to be tired, to be angry, to be sad; but just remember, it won't last forever. So, allow yourself to have bad days, allow yourself to spend entire Saturdays in your pajamas, be lazy, and rest. There is nothing wrong with letting yourself just be.

There are days when you feel unstoppable and then there are days when you have to go to your mom's house and crawl into bed with her and let her tell you that you're doing your best. Sometimes, you have to break down and ask for help; let your dad give you gas money, let your mom take you to the doctor, let yourself be taken care of. Life is hard and we all need help once and while, it doesn't make you weak or fragile or too sensitive, it just makes you human.

So, maybe strong doesn't always mean perfect, maybe it means you're strong enough to let yourself be weak.