I didn’t know what to do, so I waited for that small still voice.
C. G. Thomas
My head hurts, my back hurts, I’m frustrated and about to catch a case. The way I feel in this moment; EVERYBODY CAN GET IT! I’m kind, generous, and all around a good person so the punches that I keep taking are pushing me to a breaking point.
That is how I felt a couple of weeks ago. I was extremely downtrodden and at the point of breaking. It felt like the sky was falling, the walls were closing in on me, and I couldn’t breathe. Life was life-ing in a way that became overwhelming. The moment I felt I could take no more I remembered something my mother told me a few years ago… “When you don’t know what to do, you do nothing. You wait for the small still voice of guidance.” So that is exactly what I did.
In today’s digital age, it’s easy to believe that everyone around us is living a perfect and blissful life based on their carefully curated social media profiles. However, the truth is that we are all battling our own internal struggles. We are just one situation or incident away from feeling overwhelmed and on the verge of falling apart. Check out some of the ways I was able to regain a sense of stability after a rough period.
Cry it out
Crying is not just for babies nor is it a sign of weakness. In my research for this article, I found that crying is the body’s way of managing stress. One valuable lesson I learned was the importance of acknowledging and allowing ourselves to feel our emotions. It’s crucial not to suppress or ignore our feelings, but rather to give ourselves permission to experience them fully. By embracing our emotions, whether it’s sadness, frustration, or grief, we create space for healing and growth. Basically, I got in my bed in the fetal position and cried it out. You should try it sometime.
Therapy, therapy, therapy
I don’t know why you all shun the idea of sitting down and allowing a professional to listen and give you clinical guidance. Why is that such a problem? We have fifty-million excuses as to why we refuse to seek therapy, none of which I’m going to go through as that is a topic of discussion for some other day. Any who, I am a believer in therapy especially when I’m in a volatile state of mind. I have been with my therapist for a few years and am extremely excited at the growth that I have experienced, because of continued sessions.
What’s the saying “pressure burst pipes”, that is true, true, true. Find a therapist that you feel comfortable with. For my family and I it was important to find someone that looked like us. I wanted to make sure the guidance that I was being given was from someone that had similar life experiences.
Shut it Down
Sometimes you must shut it down. One of the things I did was go on a five-day water fast. I needed some downtime for prayer and reflection. I’m not saying you have got to follow my path or go to that extreme, that was my way of clearing up the confusion I was experiencing. It was a crucial part of reclaiming my power. Drowning out the noise is a way of helping you regain control so cutting out friends, social media, and or any other outside activity that may interfere with your mental health is key.
Life is going to life, and everyone has “the straw that broke the camel’s back” moments. You can get through; you will get through if you have a plan for navigating through stressful moments. Yes, you need to plan for that as well. I don’t know everything, but I do know that this too shall pass. I hope you’ve enjoyed your view inside the mind of Sugar Clark.
Be blessed!
