“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. If you’re lost, we’re all a little lost, and it’s alright.” -Nightbirde
When I was younger, I wanted to believe that there was one right path for my life. I wanted to think I could “get it right” so that everything would be “okay.” That is what most of us want to believe, “good things happen to good people.”
When I realized that this logic was fractured, I then began to feel like life was more like falling with the hope of landing somewhere soft and safe. Life is not fair, not a straight path, and it is not without challenge.
It is also a beautiful adventure.
Indeed, life does feel like your falling sometimes, and other times you can feel your feet on the ground. That is why this artist’s words stuck in my heart. When I work with patients with anxiety and/or depression symptoms, I often note that they are trying hard to “get it right.” Anxious patients are trying to prevent something bad from happening. The depressed patient is trying so hard to function and yet feels like they are failing all the time.
I often give the homework of creating “I can be okay, even if…” statements. Like, “I can be okay, even if I don’t get the job.” “I can be okay, even if they don’t like me.” You can fill in your blanks.
The point is, we can be okay, we can do hard things, we can keep putting one foot in front of the other.
“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.” – Nightbirde
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZJvBfoHDk0
Cara Wheeler, PsyD, is an integrated behaviorist at The Corvallis Clinic and collaborates with our pediatricians and obstetrician-gynecologists to treat patients two years and up who have behavioral health issues affecting their overall health.
The Corvallis Clinic is an independent, physician-led medical group, a comprehensive multi-specialty organization serving Benton, Linn, and Lincoln counties. It offers more than 100 board-certified physicians and advanced clinical professionals in 27 specialties at 10 area locations. As the fourth-largest area employer, The Clinic has more than 600 employees.
