Some days aren’t meant for progress or productivity – they’re meant for surviving. Whether you're processing loss, holding emotional weight, or just feeling the heaviness of it all, it’s okay if all you can do is make it through.

This short reflection is a gentle reminder that getting through the day is enough.

You don’t need to be “on.”

You don’t need to be productive.

You don’t need to carry more than you have the strength for.

You’re allowed to rest, to feel, to move slowly.

Today doesn’t have to be anything more than that.

00:07

Hey, this is It's Okay If, bite-sized permission slips. I'm Matt Gilhooly, and today's permission, it's okay if you just want to get through today. A while back, I had what I knew would be one of my last real conversations with my grandmother. She wasn't just my grandmother. She was like my best friend, my confidant, the person that I probably loved the most. She was a constant in my life.

00:36

We sat down together that day and we said everything we needed to say. No small talk, no holding back, just honesty, love, gratitude, the kind of conversation you remember forever. And while I'm so grateful we had that moment, it took everything out of me. That night, I honestly thought she might pass. And the emotional weight of saying goodbye, even in a gentle, loving way,

01:06

It wrecked me. And the next day, I couldn't function. I couldn't think about work. I couldn't pretend to be productive. I couldn't even really process what I was feeling. All I could do was get through the day. One slow, heavy hour at a time. And maybe you've had those days too, where you don't have the capacity to be on, where survival is the only thing on your to-do list. Those days don't mean you're failing.

01:36

They don't mean you're broken. They just mean you're human. So if today you're not climbing mountains or crushing goals or even holding yourself together, that's okay. You're allowed to just get through today. If you'd like, say this to yourself, I give myself permission to just get through today. That's enough. That's your permission slip, friend. Tuck it in your pocket and I'll see you next time.