@lenalecooke: ‼️‼️For the last few months, I’ve been struggling with depression. I’m not sharing this for sympathy, attention, or for the world to feel sorry for me. I’m sharing it because for a long time, I believed that as a man, I was supposed to keep my feelings to myself. Be strong. Keep pushing. Figure it out. Don’t let anyone see you breaking. But the truth is… sometimes you’re not okay. And pretending that you are doesn’t make you stronger. I’ve had days where I didn’t feel like myself. Days where I smiled around people while fighting battles nobody knew I was carrying. And for a while, I tried to handle everything on my own because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for help. I started talking with God more. I started going to therapy. I started allowing myself to actually feel instead of constantly trying to bury what was hurting me. And slowly, I’ve started finding pieces of myself again. To the person who is silently struggling, who keeps telling everyone “I’m good” when you know you’re not… you don’t have to carry everything alone. Being vulnerable doesn’t make you weak. Asking for help doesn’t make you less of a man. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is admit that you need someone in your corner. I’m still figuring things out. I don’t have all the answers. But I’m learning to trust God, trust the process, and believe that even when life doesn’t make sense, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. So if you’re struggling right now, just keep going. You don’t have to have it all figured out today. Take it one day at a time. You’re still here. And that means there’s still more life left to live. 🖤

Lenale Cooke

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Region: US

Sunday 09 August 2026 16:07:10 GMT