Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams.

On Monday, I dropped the kids off at school as I normally do. Instead of heading into work, I turned around and crawled back into bed. I set my alarm for 45 minutes, closed my eyes and cried. I let tears stream down my face, and I let it all out. Then I rolled over and fell asleep. When my alarm went off, I woke up more refreshed and ready for the day. Was I feeling 100%? No. Nevertheless, I was better.

I see people every day. Many people. People that are happy, carefree and seem to have all their ducks in a row. Then I see people who are sluggish, mopey and are obviously going through things. I do not fit into these categories. Honestly, I’m sure most people don’t feel like they fit into these categories. A lot of us hide our struggles well. We put on a happy face and power through because we have people who depend on us.

I would love to take a week off. I would love more than anything to disappear for a few days and just lay on a beach. Living in Minnesota right now, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t mind a week of sand and sun. Disappearing is not possible right now though. Right now, I have responsibilities and obligations that require me to show up. Not just physically, but mentally show up. I don’t have time to not be OK.

As an extravert who loves to stay busy, even I have my days where I just can’t adult anymore. I’ve learned that it’s OK. I need to acknowledge those moments when I’m reaching my limit. In the past, when I didn’t allow myself these moments, I would snap at my kids, or openly roll my eyes at a co-worker. I enjoy being happy. I feel my best when I’m upbeat and smiling. However, it is impossible for me to remain happy and optimistic all the time. Sorry, friends. I, April, have bad days.

I have learned over the years to take care of myself. Mental health is much more important than we give it credit, and it is often overlooked. Not just young mothers are struggling. It’s young fathers, it’s empty nesters, it’s teenagers, the elderly — no one is immune. Sadly, we often don’t find out people are struggling until it’s too late. It’s normal to hear that someone is going to the doctor because their leg hurts. There’s a stigma about going to the doctor because you’re brain isn’t cooperating. We need to stop that. We need to be more honest with each other. We need to stop pretending that everything is perfect when we are drowning.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying complain about every little thing and skip work because you’re not feeling it today. You know yourself. You know your limits. I’m suggesting that when a dear friend asks you how you’re doing, you take a moment and answer honestly. Let them in. Or in my case, when I know I can clock into work a tad later one day, I take advantage of it and just slouch my shoulders, take a breath and completely let it go.

None of us are perfect. Nor do we have our ducks in a row. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others. But when you see us, smiling, laughing and acting carefree — know that we are all going through something. So be kind.