'I am not okay'
I am not okay, I'm barely getting by
I'm losing track of days, And losing sleep at night
I am not okay, I'm hanging on the rails
So if I say I'm fine, Just know I learned to hide it well
R U OK day is just around the corner. A day where conversations are started, stories are heard, and lives are saved. It’s a day where people’s care for each other is actualised into collective effort, and it’s making an incredible difference.
But it’s not the whole picture.
2 years ago, our very own Timmy Fulton shared that he needed help. 872 days and counting,
told us he was getting sober. And 215 newsletters ago, Lily Mooney spoke about the hardest time in her life, setting the tone for our newsletter that’s allowed so many to follow in her footsteps.I know, I can't be the only one, Who's holding on for dear life
But God knows, I know, When it's all said and done
I'm not okay, But it's all gonna be alright
It's not okay, But we're all gonna be alright
All these people helped someone. All these people helped me. That moment when you realise you’re not alone lifts the weight of the world off your shoulders. It gives you the strength to look forward.
It’s one of the best things about R4R.
It gives you the confidence to Just. Keep. Moving. To do what somebody else has already done to overcome their pain. Saying you’re not okay shares the burden. Reflecting on your journey shares the blueprint to overcoming it.
I woke up today, I almost stayed in bed
Had the devil on my back, And voices in my head
Some days, it ain't all bad, Some days, it all gets worse
Some days, I swear I'm better off, Layin' in that dirt
There are so many people struggling out there. People that are struggling to look beyond the immediacy of their pain. People that are struggling to imagine a world that exists where they aren’t in pain.
By letting people know how you’ve overcome your struggle, you’re showing them a future where that pain has faded away. A future where they can smile again. A future where they’re stronger for their struggle.
I know one day, We'll see the other side
The pain'll wash away, In a holy water tide
And we all gonna be alright
R U Okay is an important question to ask. Telling people you aren’t okay in the heat of the battle is a different beast. This gap means that some people are falling through the cracks of this great initiative.
Sharing your story. Sharing your vulnerability. Sharing your overcoming can help catch these people, and through it all, it helps make you more resilient.
I wasn’t okay. I am now. Here’s how.
If you’d like to share your story, please email run4resilience@gmail.com
Thanks for the shout out, mate. It’s an honour and privilege to be a very small part of something so important. Thanks for all that you guys do. Bloody legends.
Another big thing for me is “what is/should be my response when someone says they aren’t okay”? Often that reply is overwhelming because we don’t want to ignore it or be flippant in our response. I once asked Tim, what he needed my response to be and he said that he wasn’t sure. Maybe we just need to thank them for trusting us enough to tell us and then just “be” there for them??? Asking RUOK is not enough, we need to be willing to really hear the reply and respond