Being True to Yourself

(this is a piece that I wrote awhile ago, but I still find it quite relevant and wanted to share this again. I'm currently thinking of new pieces to write and post on my blog... Stay tuned!)

Be True To Yourself

By: Christine McFarlane

Life is not a smooth road, no matter how much we would like it to be. Learning to manage the ups and downs in life is something that we are all continuously trying to learn. Sometimes it is easy to go along with your life pretending that there is nothing bothering you. You smile; you laugh and joke around, yet on the inside you know that there is something that is nagging at you.   You can feel insecurity and you know that there are tears that need to be shed, but you hold back.

Putting up a strong front is something that I think everyone can relate to. As children, we may have been told that being strong is good, and that showing any insecurity or shedding any tears in front of people makes you weak.   I grapple with the message that you are supposed to always be happy. I know that there are some days, where I know I am not feeling happy, and I question why should I show a front that is not reflective of how I am feeling? In no way, am I saying that I will walk around, shedding tears or feeling pity for myself, but there are some days where I think it should be okay for us not to have a smile plastered on our faces, if we are not feeling like it.

Society dictates that we have to be strong, that we have to put up a front, but really when you think about it, would you want to always pretend to be something you’re not? What are people afraid of?

In my healing and recovery, I have been learning the importance of being true to myself and to my feelings. However I find that there are times where I am totally being contradictory to what I am truly feeling.  I go about my tasks pretending that everything is okay. I do not give myself a moment to sit down and reflect why I may be feeling a certain way, and I do not honour the feelings that are within and need to be expressed. In ignoring what is going on, I am letting pressure build and that is not healthy either, because it can come out in a way that I will regret later.

Being true to yourself and what you are feeling is important. No one should go about their day or go along in life pretending there is nothing wrong, and not dealing with whatever it is that is bothering them. After all, when you do that, that is how illness within can begin.