And Yet, You’re Here

Kyleigh Leist

Marketing Director

There are days when I wake up and I feel it instantly—heaviness in my chest, the ache behind my eyes, the weight of the world already pressing down before I’ve even gotten out of bed. I lie there, staring at the ceiling, wondering how I’m going to do it. How I’m going to show up. How I’m going to be a partner, a professional, a friend, a person—when I don’t even feel like being here at all.

I want to say this clearly: if you know what that feels like, you’re not alone.

There have been days I’ve questioned everything. My relationship. My career. My self-worth. Days when it’s taken everything in me just to get in the shower, return a text, or keep myself from unraveling completely. Days that felt so dark I couldn’t imagine the light ever returning.

But here I am. And here you are.

Somehow, you made it to this exact moment. You survived 100% of your worst days.

That’s not small. That’s everything.

We don’t always talk about how brutal life can be when you’re silently struggling. We say things like “I’m fine” or “Just tired” and go about our day pretending we’re not falling apart on the inside. We smile through the pain, post pictures that look nothing like what we’re actually feeling, and carry on like it’s normal to be this exhausted by just... existing.

But it’s not. It’s not normal, and it’s not sustainable. And you don’t have to pretend here.

Some of us know what it means to look completely fine on the outside while silently unraveling on the inside. We’ve had days where we couldn’t catch our breath, even though nothing was technically “wrong.” We’ve felt isolated in rooms full of people, disconnected from ourselves, unsure how we’re supposed to keep going. Healing isn’t linear. And even after you’ve done the work, the hard days still come. But they don’t make you broken—they make you human.

It’s okay if today is one of those days.

You don’t have to be okay to be worthy. You don’t have to feel strong to still be strong. Just surviving can be a victory.

Sometimes, survival looks like drinking water and answering one email. Sometimes it’s crying in your car on your lunch break and still making it to your meeting. Sometimes it’s texting someone “I can’t do this alone anymore” and letting them in. Sometimes it is taking a day to yourself. And sometimes, it’s just staying. Just being here when every part of you wants to disappear.

If that’s what you’re doing today—staying—I’m proud of you. I'm proud of us.

The truth is, the really bad days feel like they’ll never end. Like the sadness, or anxiety, or self-doubt will swallow you whole. But feelings, no matter how intense, are not forever. They come and go like waves, and the more you remind yourself of that, the more you can ride them instead of letting them pull you under.

The unbearable days only last 24 hours. And every time you make it through one of them, you prove to yourself that you can do it again.

You are allowed to have days when you question everything. You are allowed to not have it all figured out. You are allowed to rest. To hurt. To heal. You are allowed to be a work in progress.

I wrote this today not because I have the answers, but because I needed the reminder too. I needed to hear that it’s okay to struggle. That I’m not weak for feeling overwhelmed. That surviving is still a superpower, even if it doesn’t look impressive from the outside.

And if no one has told you this lately: I’m so glad you’re still here.

I’m glad you didn’t give up. I’m glad you held on. I’m glad you opened this blog, even if you didn’t read the whole thing, even if you’re still in bed trying to find a reason to move. This is your reason.

You.

You’re the reason.

Because the world needs you. Because someone out there is holding on because you did. Because the worst day of your life wasn’t the end of your story.

It’s okay if you’re just surviving right now. It’s enough.

We’re in this together. Always.

_________

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