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There are days when I feel like I’m walking through a fog, where my mind plays tricks on me, and I can’t quite shake the weight pressing on my chest. The stress, the fears, the old wounds, and the whispers of distrust, they swirl in circles, never quite letting me rest. I try to push through, smile when I need to, and show up the way I’m expected to… but inside, something’s just off.

Five Finger Death Punch has a song called “A Little Bit Off” that nails this feeling perfectly. The first time I heard it, I remember thinking, Yes. That’s it. That’s the feeling I couldn’t put into words. There’s this raw honesty in the lyrics, admitting that sometimes it’s not about a big, dramatic breakdown, it’s just about feeling off. Not broken. Not defeated. Just…off.

“I’m a little bit off today, something just ain’t right…

I’m a little bit off today, I can’t put my finger on it…”

How often do we try to pinpoint the source of our unease? We search for a trigger or a cause, but sometimes it’s just the build-up. The pressure of being strong. The burden of always keeping it together. The unresolved trauma we’ve packed away into the corners of our minds. The stress of being “on” all the time. The distrust that comes from being betrayed. The fear of it happening again.

Some days I’m not sure if the enemy is real or if it’s just in my head, but that doesn’t make the anxiety feel any less real. I replay old conversations, question people’s intentions, wonder if I’m being too sensitive or not sensitive enough. I try to stay ahead of every fire, every mistake, every slip-up, because I’ve been there before, and the cost of not being “on point” was devastating.

But here’s the truth I’m learning to sit with: it’s okay to be off. It’s okay to say, “Today is not my day.” It doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It means I’m human.

There is strength in owning it. In saying, “I don’t feel like myself today.”

There is healing in admitting, “I’m tired. I’m overwhelmed. I’m afraid.”

There is power in allowing ourselves to pause and breathe through the fog.

And if you’re reading this and nodding your head because today you’re a little bit off too, I want you to know you’re not alone. We all have those days. Some of us just don’t talk about them. But that silence can become its own prison.

So if you’re not okay today, that’s okay. Let it be what it is. Take the break. Cry if you need to. Turn up the music. Write it out. Sit in silence. Go for a walk. Reach out to someone safe. Let the moment pass, because it will pass.

And when it does, you’ll still be here. Still standing. Still fighting.

Even if today…you’re just a little bit off.

“Sometimes I’m just a little bit off…and today is one of those days.”

And that’s enough.