What Being Strong Really Means Because It’s More Than Just Being ‘Unemotional’

Being strong means you actually know what it’s like to be weak, to feel helpless, to feel like you’re tired of life and its burdens yet you still wake up every morning hoping for a better day. You still think positively about your future. You still dig up what’s left of your energy when you’re drained and you keep going because you know eventually things will change. You know that things won’t stay the same forever.

Being strong means asking for help because you’re aware that you can’t do it alone. It means trying to help yourself even if it requires you to reach out to people, go to a therapist or let people know that you need them. It means you’re not afraid of letting people know you can’t do everything on your own but it won’t kill you if they can’t help. It won’t kill you if they said no. It’s not going to stop you from finding alternatives or other ways to get the help you need.

Being strong means letting people in no matter how many times you’ve been hurt because you’re not afraid of trying again. You’re aware of what went wrong before. You’re learning your lessons. You’re not letting a few bad experiences ruin your chances at love.

Being strong means believing in love against all odds. It means believing that heartbreak doesn’t define you and being alone is not the end of the world. Being strong means choosing to be alone than with the wrong person.

Being strong means choosing yourself even when people don’t choose you. It means choosing to be true to yourself even when it hurts. It’s choosing short-term sadness over long-term misery. It means losing something small to gain something bigger. It means choosing self-love without needing anyone’s validation.

Being strong means you know that you won’t always get it right. You know that life is still going to be hard. You know that people will lie to you and betray you. You know that you will never be immune to heartbreak or pain or tears but you know how to live with it. You know how to roll with the punches. You know how to eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel when it gets too dark.

Being strong means you know how to express your feelings. You tell people the truth. You tell them how you feel. Being strong is not bottling things up or playing hard to get or playing games. Being strong is understanding that vulnerability is not weakness and feelings are not dramatic. Being strong doesn’t mean you have to be cold or heartless.

You could have the biggest heart in the world and you could be falling down every day but you know that you’ll never break. You know your strength won’t always save you but it will never drown you either.

Being strong is knowing that you’ll have moments of weakness and fear but it won’t stop you from going on. It won’t stop you from jumping when you’re afraid of falling. It won’t stop you from taking a leap of faith when the odds are against you.