If no one has checked on you this week, let me remind you to check on yourself.

Many times we get angry or feel neglected when the people closest to us don’t seem to be concerned about our well-being. Our friends haven’t called us. Our loved ones seem to have forgotten about us. Meanwhile, the weight on our shoulders is becoming unbearable.

You have an obligation to focus on yourself and release the extra weight you’re carrying by worrying about when someone else will drop everything they’re doing to acknowledge or remember you’re hurting. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own lives that we don’t even see the hurt in others. We have to remember that, our friends have families of their own and that them not checking on you isn’t always personal. Sometimes, they just forget.

Then, we have the other factor where we expect someone to check on us, but, they never do because they’ve never even acknowledged your pain. We expect those that hurt us to miraculously ask us if we’re okay but, any time we’ve ever called out to them, they’ve dismissed our hurt because, believing us would cause them to realize their own.

I know, we all want somebody to listen to us, to hear us and comfort us. But, when we can’t get that, we have to be advocates for ourselves. We have to find other ways to be sure that our mental health does not depend on others believing in our suffering.

So, what am I asking you to do? I’m asking you to check on yourself. If you feel weak, extra emotional, exhausted, defeated, or there is something more direct that you are struggling with, I’m asking you to take time for yourself and find joy. Something that weighs you down cannot bring you joy. You deserve to be healthy and happy without unnecessary burden.

If no one has checked on you this week, I have. And I want you to be well.

Peace!