Feeling Down Without Feeling Guilty
How wonderful would it be to feel like don’t have to smile if you don’t want to? Wouldn’t it feel good to tell the world, “World, today I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to see anyone.” Sometimes you just want to be alone with only yourself for company. You wish it were easier to communicate when you’re feeling down without feeling that knot in your stomach. In short, without feeling guilty.
The best thing of all would be if others accepted your wishes and just came back when you light up your “open for business” sign again. No complaints and no lectures. Sometimes, you deserve to curl up alone, summon your strength and get up renewed.
Bad days are necessary, especially for us to appreciate the good ones. The magic of comparing and contrasting can teach us a lot if we pay attention to it. Because it’s not enough to know that roses have thorns; we also have to learn to get away from the thorns and take care that they don’t hurt us.
Feeling guilty for feeling down
Feeling down is more common than you imagine. Not everything in life is perfect. What happens is that society does not allow us to show that we’re feeling down. In fact, showing it makes us feel guilty and judged.
If you say that you’re sad, people will make you feel like you’re weird. You feel like they think you’re worthless. But then others pity you and try to cheer you up and get you to go out. They can’t handle other people feeling down. It’s not very comfortable. That’s why we try to cover it up.
Perhaps what happens is that seeing someone sad reminds you of when you also felt that way. In a society that says you should bottle up sadness, it’s not easy to accept it.
But you shouldn’t have to hide it if you’re feeling down, or at least you shouldn’t have to feel guilty about it. It’s a part of life. Bad days exist and it’s ok if they happen. They don’t hurt as much as it seems. They’re just there to show us that we need something. That’s why it’s important to listen to yourself when you’re not feeling great.
Forcing yourself to act differently than how you feel inside is exhausting. Painting a smile on your face saps your strength. However, if you let your feelings out, you’ll be able to get over them. And if you accept it as necessary, maybe you won’t feel so guilty.
The best refuge: yourself
On bad days, the best place to take shelter in is yourself. It’s the best of both: solitude but also company — your own company. You can vent without feeling guilty, and you can give yourself a hand.
Find a place where you can turn your lights out and look at what happened to the bulbs. Then you can fix them and turn the lights on again. Find a place where you can go and hang up a sign saying you’re closed for the day.
Listen to what your emotions are trying to tell you. After all, going out and pretending that you’re happy doesn’t do anything for you, since it will just make your emotions sound the alarms even louder and the repairs harder to make.
Embrace yourself. Let the bad feelings out, with the sole intention of feeling and understanding them. Dedicating time to yourself is necessary and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.
Let the world keep on spinning. You will get up when you have enough strength… there’s no pressure.
