March 29, 2021
If you’ve found the key to success in life AND landed your dream job AND have had no sad days recently AND magically reconnected with your kindergarten sweetheart and then got engaged to her AND bought a beach house AND you don’t check the news – or perhaps slightly more realistically, you’re thriving in whatever way that might look like to you – I love that for you.
But this is for you who’s not thriving. Like that one song from that one sitcom goes, if it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, this is for you.
You see, I’m a highly feel-y person. And to be honest, it took a fckn’ global pandemic for me to acknowledge and accept that fact. Last spring, I broke down crying at the grocery store looking at the empty shelves in the canned goods and pasta aisle. And in the days and months that followed, I’ve been numb, I’ve been angry, I’ve been sad, I’ve been exhausted, I’ve been bored out of my mind, I’ve been anxious, with a lot of what’s been going on in the world, in life, and in my mind.
Some days, all it takes is a good cup of hot coffee for me to feel great about the day ahead; some nights, it takes seconds for unprovoked sadness to kick in. Some days I’m mesmerized by the little ducklings at the park or the fresh tree buds that signal spring’s arrival; other days it might be gorgeous out and I don’t feel like stepping outside. I have moments where I feel optimistic about the post-pandemic future that we’re about to create together; other times, I’m irritated and exasperated just thinking about it.
I’m grateful, though, that I’ve started learning to put my feelings into words. And I’m proud to have started to give my mental heath at least close to as much love and attention as I might into maintaining a healthy body.
This is for you who’s not feeling great, you who feels as far away as could be from thriving. And this is for me who will have my share of high highs and low lows.
It won’t always feel this way. It won’t always be this way. In the meantime, be generous to yourself – it’s been a difficult time.
You’re beautiful. You’re brilliant. You’re resilient. You’re so damn strong – even if your brain sometimes tricks you into thinking that you’re not. Even if you haven’t done anything remotely productive today, yesterday, or the day before that.
You’ve got this.
Listening to: I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz. His entire Love is a Four Letter Word album is and has been my go-to soothing playlist for the better part of the past decade.
