Don’t You Dare Give Up On Yourself

I know you’re frustrated. I know you’re having a hard time believing things are going to get better. I know you want the pain to stop, you want the questions to stop, you want the self-doubt to stop. But you need to hold on a little longer.

You need to get through the day. Even if you don’t leave the house, even if you don’t shower, even if you don’t brush your teeth, at least make it through the day. Other people might think you’re lazy for cooping yourself up inside for hours on end, but you know better than them. You know you’re strong for making it through the day at all.

Some days aren’t meant to be productive. Some days aren’t meant to be jam-packed with activities. Some days are simply meant to be lived.

You need to live through today, even if you’re doing it from inside your bedroom.

You need to live through today, even if you don’t have the energy to move from your bed.

You need to live through today, even when you feel like you aren’t living at all.

No, you can’t lock yourself away in a cage forever, but today is not forever. Today is all you need to worry about right now. Get through today and the rest will come later.

That doesn’t mean you have permission to procrastinate. If you can muster up the courage to call a therapist, do it. If you can muster up the energy to return texts, do it. If you can muster up the strength to leave your house and get through the day as usual, do it.

Your feelings are valid. Your mental health matters. Asking for help is a step toward the healing process, it’s a step toward feeling okay again.

But on the days when you don’t feel okay enough to function as usual, don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t call yourself a failure. Don’t assume there’s something wrong with you. 

Thousands of people experience the same things you’ve been experiencing. You wouldn’t want them to give up on themselves — so you shouldn’t give up on yourself either.

Keep going. Keep breathing. Keep living.

You might feel like you’re never going to stop making mistakes. You might feel like everyone you love is going to leave you eventually. You might feel like you have nothing to offer this world. But those are fears, they aren’t facts.

The little voice in the back of your head is a good liar. It’s good at convincing you your worst fears are true — but you have to remember you are in charge of your own identity. Your worst moments don’t define you. Your baggage doesn’t define you. Your insecurities don’t have to hold you back forever.

No, you might not have the energy to do much more than eat breakfast today, but that’s a start. That’s a small stepping stone — and with enough time, even the smallest stepping stones will lead you to someplace beautiful.

You are strong for making it through yesterday, so don’t you dare give up on yourself, because you can make it through today too.