Honouring Pain

There’s a common misconception that we need to brush off every pain we feel as if pushing it aside somehow makes us stronger. We’ve been conditioned to think that if we’re hurting, we should just power through, put on a brave face, and act like everything is fine. But here’s the truth, healing doesn’t come from ignoring your pain. In fact, there’s a popular saying that goes, healing is feeling.

It’s okay to sit with your pain for a while. Whether it's grief, the ache of a breakup, the disappointment of a job loss, or any kind of heartache—it’s okay to feel it. We often feel pressured to minimize our hurt, to tell ourselves, "It’s not that bad," or "I should be over this by now." But pain, in any form, deserves to be acknowledged.

Allow yourself to feel. Give yourself permission to sit in that heaviness without rushing to push it away. You don’t have to be "okay" all the time. Sometimes, real strength comes from admitting that you're not. And in those moments, when you allow yourself to feel, you start to heal.

So, take your time. Be gentle with yourself. It’s okay to not be okay. And when you're ready, healing will find its way to you, not by forcing the pain away, but by honouring it first.

With love,

Olamide from MANI.