Life Lesson: What I’ve Learned From It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

I am not going to do the drama review about It’s Okay to Not Be Okay because I believe you can find tons and read better-written drama review about it. Instead of reviewing the drama, I prefer to talk about my point of view and things that I have learned after watching this drama.

Little bit about the drama:

The drama tells the story of Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who does not have time for love, and Ko Moon-young (Seo Ye-ji), a successful children’s book author who has never known what love feels like. After meeting each other, the two slowly begin to heal each other’s emotional wounds. As the story progresses, the truth behind their intertwining pasts that has been haunting them is also revealed.

Moon Gang Tae has an older brother whom he should take care since he was young after their mother passed away. Moon Sang Tae (Oh Se Jung) is on spectrum who witnessed their mom killed and claimed she was killed by butterflies that’s why he fears so much with butterflies. due to his fear, Moon Gang Tae and Moon Sang Tae kept on moving house when summer coming.

Many interesting things I got after watching this drama, of course I love the romance part too but aside of that, I do learn many things related to life lesson – mental health – Self healing through this drama. One of the most important thing that I learn from the drama is, never judge book from its cover. For example: Moon Gang Tae may looks so cold from outside but actually he is someone who craving warmness, a man who only knowing how suppressing his emotions and feeling. As caregiver, he used to show his smile but the smile isn’t warm. Moon Sang Tae might on spectrum but he good at drawing and he able to live alike any normal people such as working although he is lacking. Ko Moon Young, from outside she looks so perfect, a well-known children book author, rich but she lacking on emotion and tending to act violence and antisocial person.

The second lesson that I learned through this drama, speak up for yourself. As time passes, older we grow, less bolder we become. Not pointing at anyone but, I share my personal experiences. In 2016, I called off from my job because I was so stressed with my work load as well the pressure that given by my supervisor. I tried to speak but I didn’t dare because I was a newbie. Because I didn’t know how to speak up for myself, I chose to avoid and run away by given up the job. The thing that I want to say, I never regretted to leave but I am so regretted for not speaking up for myself, bolder little bit to express my feeling and kinder to myself for not ignoring my emotions while giving them an opportunity to harm me emotionally.

The third lesson that I learned through this drama, letting go the past wound. In this drama there was a story about old veteran who suffering from PTSD after he joined Vietnam war. Every noises that similar alike gun or shooting sounds may turn a trigger for calling out his nightmares during the past events. He never fully recovered from his sickness because he holding tight to his past wound. Just alike how he said to Sang Tae who fears butterflies, once Sang Tae could overcome his fear toward butterflies then he would able to draw the most beautiful butterflies.

The fourth lesson that I learned through this drama, In order to grow strong one should face their problems and hardship in their life. When you’re afraid, the very first choice you consider is probably to run away.  We often run away from a lot of things: problems, memories, sometimes even responsibilities—and it’s okay.  In fact, it’s considered normal. when you think of or experience something distressing, there is a high chance your initial response or defense mechanism will be avoidance and/or denial.  You’d probably want to avoid thinking or talking about it, avoid going to places that remind you of the experience or even normalize the problem. But we tend to forget, without those problems we are hardly to grow up and mature as human being.

Just alike one of the story books in this drama, The Boy Who Fed By His Nightmares is about a young boy who haunted by nightmares that are about all the terrifying and traumatizing experiences that he had. He visited a witch begging her to get rid all his memories that cause his nightmares in exchange, the witch would take his soul after he growing up and become an adult.

After his memories are erased, one would think the young boy would grow up to be happy man, however, he ending up to be an empty shell adult. When the witch came to make visit on him to collect on the promise, he raging at the witch, said that despite of all the memories being erased, he was unable to find his happiness. Therefore the with explained to him, humans are made of all the trials and tribulations that they have experienced in life, and it helps them to mature into adult who are capable of finding happiness. He gave up on his chance when he made a deal with the witch.

Last, through this drama I learned to accept failure, admit that life will never be perfect, at the same time, believe that time will heal my small wounds of course with the help of my own effort too.

This drama teaches us to be sensitive, warm, and understanding not only of others but most especially of ourselves. The moment we start to learn more about who we are is the moment we embrace and accept ourselves.  Instead of ignoring our emotions and scars, we can try and learn to acknowledge them.

‘我们也要学会对自己说“没关系，你可以的”。失败了，没关系，我们还有下一次；伤心了，没关系，你可以走出来；颓废时，没关系，拍拍尘土再次出发……人生哪有那么多完美，学会在不完美的人生中对自己说没关系，你可以的也是一种人生的大智慧。’

‘We should learn to say it’s okay to ourselves, you can keep on’. If you fail, it’s okay, there will be another chance next time; When you feel sad, you can go out and stroll; When you are in decadence state, it’s okay, just get up and then start it over… There is no perfect life, learn how to speak with self, in this imperfect life you can be someone who filled with wisdom.’