The Permission Slip You've Been Waiting For
A simple list of things you’re allowed to do, feel, and let go of today.
A lot of us are walking around waiting for a quiet kind of permission.
Not in an obvious way. Not something we would say out loud. But in the small pauses during the day — when we hesitate, second guess, or feel a little guilty for wanting things to feel easier, calmer, or different.
And the thing is, the person next to you is probably carrying something really similar. Even the people who seem like they have it all together are asking their own version of “Is this okay?” or “Am I doing this right?”
We just don’t always say it out loud.
So instead of overthinking it, here’s a simple list of things you might need to hear today.
Take what you need:
You are allowed to change your mind.
You are allowed to take a few minutes of quiet (even if that means hiding in your closet or sitting in your car).
You are allowed to not respond right away.
You are allowed to feel tired of managing everything.
You are allowed to do less today.
You are allowed to outgrow routines, roles, and expectations.
You are allowed to rest before you reach your breaking point.
You are allowed to take the easier option.
You are allowed to want a slower pace of life.
You are allowed to enjoy things that don’t make you more productive.
You are allowed to ask for help.
You are allowed to not have a perfect explanation for how you’re feeling.
You are allowed to feel proud of small, ordinary things.
You are allowed to not have it all figured out.
You are allowed to protect your energy without over-explaining.
You are allowed to be in a season that looks different than what you expected.
You are allowed to be a person, not a perfectly functioning system.
There’s something comforting about remembering this isn’t just you! So many people are carrying the same quiet pressure, the same internal expectations, the same feeling that they should be handling things better than they are.
We’re all a lot more alike in this than we think. Not because everyone’s situations are the same, or because one person’s struggles make another’s less valid. It doesn’t take away from what you’re carrying, and it doesn’t make someone else’s load heavier or lighter.
It just means that in different ways, we’re all navigating stress, pressure, and the feeling of trying to keep up. And maybe there’s a little bit of relief in knowing you’re not the only one feeling it.
If you needed to hear even one of these today, keep it. Come back to it when you need it. Share it with someone who might need it too.
P.S. You don’t actually need permission! But sometimes it helps to hear it anyway.
It's maybe (definitely) just my season of life right now, but 1. this post made me cry, and 2. I'm taking all of them. This is an incredible list...an emotional "need a penny, take a penny" jar that hit me in just the right time. I hope it speaks to someone else the way it spoke to me.
This speaks right to my heart! Thank you so much.
I quit my job recently. I had been working so hard for that opportunity for so long. It felt like a dream come true, until it didn’t. Once in the job, nothing about it felt right- indescribable, honestly. I fought through for a while, but it wasn’t getting any better. I left it- and feel so free. It’s been a permission slip to slow down, reexamine where I want to be and what I want to focus my energy on. It’s like coming up for air after being underwater for a while.
Being in a slower season is definitely different and very counter-intuitive. 🩵