‘I cried every day last week. Some days I have it together. I pat myself on the back. Most days I feel like I’m falling apart.’: Woman urges ‘it’s okay to ask for help’

“Can I be honest with you? I’m not OKAY.

I cried every single day last week. I cried because my daughter was in the middle of a 7-year-old meltdown. I cried because I screamed at my toddler in frustration. I cried because I broke my toe walking down the stairs…who breaks their toe?!?

How many of us thought we’d be entering month eight of this ‘new normal?’ In the early days, we were in survival mode, but I never thought I would still be trying to stay afloat several months down the road. The burnout is REAL.

There are days where it feels like life is unraveling into a deep black hole, with no end in sight. And I think a lot of us are in the same boat.

Some days I have it together. I pat myself on the back when the kids are bathed, when I have time to make healthy meals, and when the house seems in order. But to be honest, most days I feel like I’m falling apart.

Shove a corn dog in the microwave, let my child play for hours on the iPad. At this point, I don’t care…as long as they give me five minutes of silence.

There is no downtime when you are juggling kids, remote learning, work, and why not add a pandemic puppy to the mix! Even when I should be sleeping, I find myself wide awake making mental notes of all I need to do when daylight arrives.

Survive the day is my motto, then rinse and repeat.

Here’s the thing—none of us signed up for this. Our lives were turned upside down in the middle of March. I suddenly became a working mom who is also a stay-at-home mom. Maybe I was optimistic, maybe I was naïve, but I never expected life to still be like this 7+ months later.

As moms, we’re excellent at making it look easy, at smiling when life may be chaos around us.

But remember this: It’s OKAY to not be OKAY right now. It’s OKAY to wave the white flag, to call it a day and have a ‘woe is me’ moment. And it’s OKAY to ask for help.

Life is messy these days. The only thing we can do is take it one day at a time.”

This story was written by Stacey Skrysak, an award-winning television journalist based in Illinois. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more powerful stories from Stacey:

‘I wanted to give them a message in Heaven.’ I unfolded the paper and read the note through a cloud of tears.’: Surviving triplet writes message to deceased siblings

‘I was sobbing. Pregnant at 40 was the furthest thing from my mind. I was scared. 2 of my babies died within 2 months of birth.’: Mother of child loss says ‘bonus baby’ was ‘biggest surprise,’ now thrilled for surviving triplet to have a sister

‘I cried today. One moment I’m hugging my daughter, the next I’m yelling because she hasn’t finished her school work.’: Mom says ‘knowing I’m not alone keeps me sane’

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