There’s such a gap between the theory of authenticity and the practice of it. In my own journey of self-discovery and in helping hundreds of people with theirs, I’ve found that “being yourself” rarely looks the way we think it will.

I’ve also found that most people fear allowing their desires to blossom, because they are awaiting some external permission for those desires to be “authentic” or “spiritual” or “real.”

So, just in case you’re waiting for permission…

Yes, it’s okay to have self-judging thoughts, anxious thoughts, angry thoughts, depressive thoughts. Yes, it’s okay to not be perfectly “healed” just because you’ve begun your journey of self-discovery. Yes, it’s okay to feel inadequate and strange when you hear people talking about how they “used to” judge themselves and to wonder why you can’t stop.

Yes, it is okay to be spiritual and listen to dubstep, and hip-hop, and death metal.

Yes, it’s okay to be compassionate and be assertive at the same time. Yes, it’s okay to care about someone and walk away because you can’t love them from up close.

It’s okay to meditate in your own way. It’s okay to flop yourself on your bed with your head in the pillow for an hour and call this meditation. It’s okay to sit or lie or stand or walk wherever you want as you look within your own mind.

It’s okay to hate journaling.

It’s okay to hate yoga.

It’s okay to hate the word “spiritual.”

Yes, it’s okay to tell people how you feel before you find the perfect words to describe exactly how you feel. Yes, it’s okay to reach out for help before you’re absolutely sure that you’re ready for it. Yes, it’s okay to feel like you’re bothering someone by putting your emotions on them, and it’s okay to tell them that you feel that way.

It’s okay to think about your ex, no matter how long ago it was. It’s okay to still be a little heart-broken about your first love.

Yes, it’s okay that the scars and bruises on your heart sometimes burn raw, out of nowhere. No, it doesn’t mean you’re doing all the wrong things. Yes, healing can take years. Yes, it’s okay to need to forgive someone for the 324^th time.

It’s okay to feel like you’re doing well and have it all fall apart when you visit your family.

It’s okay to get angry.

It’s okay to cry.

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.

It’s okay to not know what to do.

Yes, it’s okay to love someone, but feel like you can’t give to them because you’re too drained yourself. Yes, it’s okay to take care of yourself even if guilt tells you otherwise.

It’s okay to get hit with waves of depression or social anxiety or eczema that you never expected and that you don’t understand. It’s okay for the tactics that worked yesterday to not work today. It’s okay for all of the “right answers” you thought you’d found to slip from in between your fingers.

It’s okay to be annoyed with self-help.

It’s okay to be annoyed with inspiring stories.

It’s okay to not be done healing. It’s okay to not fully know yourself.

It’s okay to be on a journey. It’s okay to be confused.

It’s okay to not have phrased all of your pains, lessons, and desires perfectly before you share them. It’s okay to not feel perfect, look perfect or think perfectly before you allow yourself to be seen.

Yes, it’s okay to want a friend, a partner, a community while you’re still struggling. Yes, it’s okay to not wait until you’ve “fixed yourself” before you reach out for human connection.

It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to find it hard to handle self-judgment that comes up when you fail or make mistakes.

It’s okay to follow your dreams, even though you’re not ready. It’s okay to leave somewhere today, even though you don’t have a plan for where you’ll go tomorrow.

Yes, it’s okay to follow your own heart, do what feels right to you, and be yourself, even when people depend on you to be someone else.

It’s okay to feel amazing today, even though it will fade soon. It’s okay to feel awful today, even though there is so much to be grateful for.

Yes, it’s okay to be hurt about others’ expectations, even while you’re trying to not be addicted to their approval. Yes, it’s okay to worry about what people think of you, even if you consider yourself to be very authentic.

Yes, it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to hesitate before plunging from your comfort zone.

It’s okay to have scars, pimples, insecurities, moles, cellulite, tremors, debts, redness, regrets, loneliness and uncertainty.

It’s okay to have no idea what you’re doing.

It’s okay to struggle with some things, while enjoying others. It’s okay to find joy in the beauty in life, even after a great loss. It’s okay to change. It’s okay to move on. And it’s okay to fear changing and moving on.

Wherever you are, and whatever you are experiencing, is okay. You didn’t invent the universe and you didn’t invent the human condition.

You don’t need permission to live whatever you’re living, even if it looks and feels different from anyone else’s life around you. And it’s okay to feel like you need that permission anyway.

So here it is.

It’s okay.

Everything is okay.

And it’s even more okay when we join together to give ourselves and each other the permission to allow things to be as they are. Will you join me? Add to this love letter to the world. What else is okay? Please share below.

~

Author: Vironika Tugaleva

Editor: Caroline Beaton

Photo: Google images for reuse