Today, I had to remind myself: it’s okay to be happy, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart.
I had been thinking about what to write for this weekend’s post. Originally, I had something totally different in mind, but I scrapped it. It didn’t feel right to write about something lighthearted while everything around us is so heavy. But then I realized that that, in itself, was wrong.
Let me explain. (And don’t worry, I won’t keep you long—promise!)
The past few weeks have been nothing short of heartbreaking. The news has been filled with tragedy, and as much as I’ve been hurting, I haven’t said much publicly about it. I’ve discussed it with my family, and we talk a lot about the state of the world, but my platform isn’t the place to dive into politics or global affairs. It doesn’t mean I’m not affected by what’s happening. Of course, I am.
It also doesn’t mean I think everyone needs to weigh in on every crisis. I’ve seen a lot of criticism directed at influencers and celebrities for not posting something political about the latest world events. But why should they have to? When I scroll through Instagram, I don’t expect my favorite bloggers or musicians to offer up their opinions on the Middle East. Just because you have a big platform doesn’t mean it’s your duty to comment on every tragedy.
One influencer I follow (who has over half a million followers) posted a video defending herself against accusations that she wasn’t addressing the situation in the news. What?! Since when does having an audience mean you must give a public statement about every issue?
So, I started feeling uneasy about what I was planning to write about. Should I be writing something trivial while so many are suffering? Would I get criticized for writing about something lighthearted?
Last Friday (the 13th, a particularly unlucky day for me) was a tough one. It wasn’t catastrophic, but everything seemed to go wrong:
- It was the first anniversary of my mother-in-law’s passing.
- The second hedgehog I rescued didn’t survive, just like the first one I found a few weeks ago.
- Two separate cars nearly crashed into me (neither incident my fault, but still terrifying).
- I had a frustrating admin nightmare with the blog, and it turned out two mistakes were going to cost me extra money to fix.
- And, to top it all off, a writing job I’d just secured disappeared because the company decided to shut down that part of their business.
Then Keith came home and said he had had a bad day at work too.
As I typed all of this out in a WhatsApp chat with friends, I said, “It’s bad, but at least my family and friends are safe. At least no one’s in danger.”
But here’s the thing: It’s okay to feel bad, even when you know others are going through worse. It’s okay to acknowledge your own struggles without feeling guilty about them. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about what’s happening in the world; it just means that all feelings are valid. One of my friends put it perfectly:
“Don’t feel bad about feeling bad. You can feel down, but also know that terrible things are happening to innocent people. The two aren’t connected.”
She’s 100% right. Just because someone else has it worse doesn’t mean I should invalidate my own feelings. It’s not a competition.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen people online—especially men—being harsh about this. I was listening to a phone-in show about the cost of living crisis, where a man called in and said, “They’re not being bombed like in Ukraine, so they should stop exaggerating about how bad things are for them. It’s not a crisis.”
Honestly, I was furious. That kind of thinking is not only unhelpful, it’s cruel. I would never invalidate someone’s feelings, so I need to remind myself that it’s okay to feel down sometimes too.
But here’s the flip side: It’s also okay to have a good day.
The Friday after that rough one? It was a much better day. Nothing major went wrong, Keith didn’t have a bad day at work, the sun came out, and the weather was mild. I tidied the house, caught up on some writing and admin, and enjoyed a delicious meal with Keith. We even started watching the Beckham documentary on Netflix, which was excellent. And on top of all that, I got a new haircut and am still loving it.
For all of this, I am so, so grateful. I know how lucky I am that my family is safe, even though the world outside feels like it’s spiraling into chaos. It’s possible to feel both grateful for what you have and heartbroken for what’s happening elsewhere. Both can coexist.
Tragic things will always happen. It’s the reality of the world we live in. But it’s also okay to recognize that some days will be good, and some will be bad. Some days will feel light and easy, and others will feel like a heavy weight. That’s life. And all of it is valid.
I hope you’re able to find moments of happiness, even in tough times. And I hope you’re having a safe and restful weekend.
