Can I be honest for a second and admit to you all that this week was hard? I feel the need to say that out loud to allow it to not have a hold on me. I found myself at an apex when I dropped my kids off at school and proceeded to bawl my eyes out in my car. Why? Not because I was sad they were gone or missing them or scared for them. It actually had nothing to do with them. This was the first time I let myself be vulnerable and face my struggles all week. Let me explain.
I strive on connection, we all do. When our connection is disconnected, we struggle. In times like these, we are fighting from the moment we get up to the moment we go to bed. We have to actively seek out different ways to connect with people, but it is not the same. So I knew I have been struggling. Feelings of fear, disappointment, and anxiety were coming full front to my head. It was like a volcano going off and it was unstoppable. So I let it out. I let myself just cry and scream and just do nothing for a few minutes. Then I wiped my face, put my glasses back on and drove home.
What did I accomplish? Nothing, and yet everything. I tend to be the person who puts my own struggles aside and do what needs to be done for everyone else. It distracts me from my own feelings. But really this avoidance does not make anything go away. Everything is still there with me I just turn the light off on it. Eventually it builds up or moves into the light and I am forced to face it. So can we think of better strategies to face it? Absolutely! I thought, what would I tell a client who is struggling? Talk to someone. Get it out. So yes, I see a therapist. Wow, did I say that out loud? Phew. Ok. Its over now and the world did not end. Great. Next step.
This blog is hard to write because it is allowing myself to welcome you into bits of my world. But it is a step in my own growth, and I hope it resonates with some of you to know that everyone struggles and needs a hand from time to time. Connecting with a therapist is as normal as having coffee with a friend with the bonus of learning more about yourself and strategies for success. So, over time we learn how to more effectively overcome our struggles.
If you have ever felt this way or resonated with what I have said, don’t let it stop you from seeking out a helping hand. I have been where you are, and we can do this together. We all have struggles, we’re human.