"Compare yourself to no one but who you were yesterday"

It's okay to not be okay

Life is an everlasting obstacle. It might not look that way when things are going good but when your life takes a turn and a series of unfortunate events begin to happen, we think that our life path is changing. However, you're always on the same obstacle course, you're just facing more challenges when the times get tough.
I've been facing a lot of personal challenges outside of work, and it's been really hard to cope. I've been asking myself, "how can I suppress my personal emotions so they don't interfere with my work life?" but that's not the right question to be asking. I shouldn't be suppressing any emotions.
I'm not an expert, but instead of blocking those emotions from coming up, I give myself time to process them. I'll give you a very honest example about what I mean. I recently broke up with my boyfriend of four years. Everyday I feel guilt and responsibility for someone else's happiness. Pile that on to the stress of being a multimedia journalist who works long hours and is constantly on a deadline- it's A LOT. To be honest, I feel like I'm losing my grip. When I feel like I'm a complete basket case and I can no longer contain the wailing cries, I write or I call someone I love or trust to tell them what I'm experiencing.
As a young, driven, professional woman, I want to think that I can do it all, I think a lot of women think that way. The truth is, most of the time I am on top of my stuff, but I also need help sometimes, and that's okay. When my personal life hits a rough patch and those obstacles start to become difficult, I try not to suppress the sadness, the stress, the fear, or whatever it is I'm feeling. I really try to recognize the feelings and accept them. To some this up, just know that if things aren't going perfectly inside your heart or your mind it's okay. It's okay to not be okay. It's not okay to not do anything about it because you matter.