Day 12: It’s OK to Not Be OK – Walking for Wyoming
Tonight, on Day 12 of the #IWillListen Ruck Challenge, I walked two miles in honor of Wyoming’s first responders, where we lose an average of two first responders to suicide each year. My message tonight is this:
it’s OK to not be OK.
It’s OK to ask for help.
It’s OK to talk about feelings.
It’s OK to cry when you’re sad or laugh when you’re happy.
It’s OK to say, “I don’t know.”
It’s OK to put your needs first, say “no” when you won’t, and “yes” when you will.
It’s OK to enforce your boundaries.
But while it’s OK to feel these emotions, it’s also not OK to stay stuck there. We all deserve the best lives we can live, and our loved ones deserve the best version of us we can give them. It’s OK to sob in your garage because you’re struggling and don’t want your kids to see. It’s OK to miss someone so much it physically hurts. It’s OK to feel anger or anxiety so overwhelming it seems like you might burst. These feelings are valid.
But the real power lies in moving through those moments and rising above them. It’s in asking for help, finding support, and persevering. The empowerment of overcoming these struggles and becoming a better version of yourself is a victory you owe yourself.
Reach out to friends, family, or a therapist. You deserve the best possible life—don’t let anything, not even yourself, stop you from having it.
Stay safe, and I will listen.
