It's OK To Feel Like The World Is Coming To An End

We have all been through it. Something major happens in our lives and we feel like the world is coming to an end. A traumatic event can make anyone feel like that is no hope on the horizon. Nobody is immune to it. And the thing is, you are absolutely allowed to feel that way. For as long as you have to.

I have talked about my mother’s death and how it has affected my life. She passed away in December of last year, and looking back on these past few months, I am certain that I experienced what can only be described as survivor’s guilt and I’m still not out of the woods yet. Recently, the news around the world have made me feel, yet again, like we are all doomed and there is no way out.

But that’s OK. It is OK to feel that way. And in the end, there is hope on the horizon. And the world is yet to come to an end.

We, as a society, are told to ‘cheer up!’ or that we shouldn’t ‘think that way’ far too often. We are constantly told to keep our hopes up. We are always being reminded that things will get better. And I totally understand that. I understand the need to look at the bigger picture, take a deep breath and get some perspective.

But we need time to sit with our emotions and wallow, occasionally. We need to understand how we are feeling in the moment, so we can figure out how to work our way through it. We have to let our emotions flow, even if they are not always pleasant.

Optimism and pessimism go hand-in-hand. As they should. Yin and yang. You can’t have one without the other. Optimism should prevail, yes, and it will. And, if anything, it is a commendable sentiment in an increasingly hostile world. But pessimism needs to exist first and be allowed out every once in a while, in order for optimism to shine through. We should be able to share our feelings and then sit in stunned, comfortable silence for just a little bit. No answers, no advice, nothing. We should all be able to just talk, cry, scream, despair… and then sit in silence. Let it wash over you. It will go away.

When my mother died, I just didn’t know what to do. For days on end, I felt numb. I felt like none of it was actually happening. Like I wasn’t actually going through it. It was as though I was a spectator in someone else’s life. When I had to come to terms with it, I thought I would never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have always considered myself to be somewhat of a pessimist, but what I didn’t realize is that we are all capable of being pessimists and optimists, simultaneously. I did not realize that I was not just being a pessimist. I wasn’t giving in to my pessimistic tendencies necessarily, I was simply allowing them to exist, before letting that good old optimism come through the door and rescue me. And it did.

I did eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I didn’t rush it in.

It’s OK to feel like the world is indeed coming to an end. It’s OK not to have all the answers immediately. It’s OK to feel helpless. Hopeless. Only after you have been through that, can you truly appreciate how good it feels to be hopeful again.

Take your time. Take all the time you need.