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Anybody out there struggling?
I have had a few conversations lately, and I know I'm not the only one. The only one who feels overwhelmed by all the To Do Lists, the never ending pile of laundry, the day to day grind of have to do's.....But it's not even about that stuff, really. It is an inner thing. I have a tendency to struggle with anxiety at times, a sense of urgency in my being that I know is not rational. It is as though my body feels there's an emergency happening, even though I can think it through and know that the world will not end if I don't do the dishes immediately. Then it gets worse if I look around and assume I'm the only one feeling this way, everybody else is cool calm and collected. I decide I am not coping, what is wrong with me? I ruminate, why can other people breeze through this thing called daily life and I feel on the verge of screaming and/or crying? Then I try pretending I feel cool calm and collected, you know, like everbody else but this gets draining and exhausting. The 'not coping' feeling is magnified significantly by keeping it my little secret. Well, Matt and the kids cop the snapping and low tolerance, so it's not really a secret. This is where a meltdown needs to happen. The tears flow and I confess my struggle, and boy is this therapeutic. My body can finally be free of the tension, it's out. Perspective comes as I share, a renewed sense of hope.
Stress, anxiety, fear, and any other debilitating feeling loses alot of its power just by letting others know about it. Reaching out helps us realise that it is a myth that no body else feels like this. Robin Worthington says that "the battle to keep up appearances unnecessarily,the mask-whatever name you give creeping perfectionism-robs us of our energies."
The paradox is, that by me telling you that I am stressed and anxious, I reduce my anxiety. By you telling me that you struggle at times too, I feel connected and know that I am not alone. We are all in this together.
