“It’s okay” is at the basis of all well-being.
It’s okay to not be okay.
Naomi Osaka
Since I read of Naomi Osaka’s decision to put her well-being first, I’ve wanted to speak to the backlash that I knew would be there – really just our own inability to be with change (aka our evolution). I began writing this post awhile back. It was called, “Wanna Be Well?” It was focused on wellness and an ultra-simple self-care tool. I didn’t complete it then, but it seems relevant and appropriate to finish it now in the face of all that’s come up around this difficult-to-hear subject of putting ourselves first.
Putting ourselves first is like speaking a foreign language to the majority of this world; a foreign concept that must be translated in a myriad of ways.
Monique McIntyre
So I am completing my love letter to you all and putting it out into the world. Hence, you’re reading it now. This is an opportunity for us all to heal. To put healing at the forefront of how we live our lives.
Heal. This word evokes so much, and sometimes so little because it is often displaced, in terms of its full utility.
Healing. The proposition of healing at the forefront of society is one of physicality. Physical healers… Western medicine – adapting pharmaceutical medicines to resolve symptoms, surgical processes to remove infection, et al; or Eastern healing modalities – acupuncture, acupressure, Reiki massage, herbs, Tai Chi, yoga, and the like, focused on alignment of our energetic fields via the physical body. Either way, when we think of healing, most of us automatically refer to our bodies. Except… for healing to be radically effective and productive, it must include that which is intangible – the heart and the mind. So where does this two-word phrase – “it’s okay” – fit into the basis of well-being? Well, let’s open up the inquiry.