Sometimes the weight of the world gets heavy…. Especially when your perspective broadens. Where a clear mind can prioritize all the thoughts and obligations and a clouded mind can struggle with that.
My definition of depression, whether it’s postpartum, isolation or other induced depression, is thinking or looking at all the things in one’s life and feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed.
The feeling of the chaos consuming you whole.
The feeling that there are so many things in your chafing dish…
But you can’t fit them all on your plate at the same time.
Where you struggle to allocate priority of which one comes first. Where there are many external influences that pressure the hierarchy on said list.
Where you have to sit for some time and think…
There are so many ways to manage and cope with life.
Sometimes, it’s as easy as chatting with a friend or family member.
Yet, often they’re dealing with their own things and can’t take on the weight of yours. Where other outlets can help. Hobbies in a healthy active lifestyle can help relieve some of the strain and cloudiness. But that’s not always enough. There might be herbal or natural avenues. There’s also the clinical methods and everything in between or a combination of all.
The first step I try to use in healing or coping is SELF GRACE. Whatever path you choose or chooses you, it’s okay for to be there and take the time necessary to work through the process.
AND that there is no timeline or deadline expected for results. Little steps, is all it takes to progress with time. We often hear one day at a time, sometimes it’s, one hour, one minute, even one second.
The race is with self, so travel at your own speed.
Also, you would be wise to remember that speeding can lead to burnout. Where greater fluctuations may occur on ones path, that speeds. I have learned this myself through experience. Where a more consistence speed can maintain similar output over the same duration.
A great way to visualize this is; two cars leaving home at the same time. Car one, petal to the meatal the whole way. Car two, following a more consistent flow of posted signage. Where, in the end the obstacles slowed car one, potentially frustrating the driver and leaving them needing a vacation. Where car two leisurely enjoyed the trip and is ready to go again.
Who is a “car one” and who is a “car two”? That’s up to you to work out. What works for one situation may not always be the answer for another. So don’t be surprised if you drive both cars on the ride of life.
Anyway, bring it back to giving yourself GRACE on the path of clarity when life gets full of ALL THE THINGS. For myself recently I created a mind map of all the crap that’s in my head.
And straight up, that doesn’t even cover it all…
Sometimes when you think deep enough through it all, it’s white out conditions with the amount of information that’s available…
Where the the most clarifying thing to do is, stop, slow down, look to the Lake, Horizon, Sky, Clarity and evaluate on What You Need…
Sometimes, that’s letting go of a lot of things that you used to carry. Letting go of the fixed mindset that society influences.
Sometimes, it’s making lists and scratching things off one at a time.
Sometimes, it’s just giving Yourself Grace and time to recover.
Sometimes, it gets to the point where you have buried your head into the grind for so long, walking the journey, getting shit done. But it still feels like you’re standing still.
Yet time has passed. You see it in the children and the ones who have gone. The papers on the wall or in the wallet.
Then a realization occurs…
That standing still feeling, is because we should be in the now. Living in the moment, enjoying the gift of the present.
As long as you are living, progression happens in one aspect or another. Time ticks forward and growth happens. Growth happens in so many different ways. Break Free of the societal idea of growth. Grow for you…
That feeling of not progressing (even when you have) is, old school fixed mindset.
Things progress, time only goes in one direction…
So take that feeling, reflect on all of the amazing things you have progressed in.
Even the smallest acts lead to growth.
It may be as simple as improving oral hygiene. We all could clean our teeth more, I’m sure. Or it could be reaching out to a professional to help find your way, after feeling lost for some time. Maybe you finished a class, course or program. Or you helped someone else develop a skill, a child to read, dress, bathe. Some of these progressions we take for granted. A lot of the time it’s because we don’t have a tangible reminder that we did it. Well, other than the person and their skills. But, we often forget that we help nurture and develop others while working on ourselves. Then, when looking back we overlook our contributions and development as a kind of progression.
So with that, I challenge you to let that feeling of standing still be a reminder to enjoy today and celebrate all the progress of yesterday.
JEMI
P.S. If you have been lost for a long time and you are looking for guidance (in Canada) this is a great place to ask questions to help clarify your path. https://cmha.ca/
If you are not at that fork in the road yet, talk to your GP, or ask if the company you work for has resources available to you.
Pick up a hobby you love, it’s amazing the clarity that can come from doing things you enjoy, for you.
Create a mind map like the one I did above. I used the Canva app, free to download on the google play store.
Just letting all the THINGS OUT sometimes is enough of a release, to then re-focuses.
Write it down, then throw it into a fire pit or tear it up and let it go. That doesn’t mean all the things will be resolved. But the actions can sometimes aid in changing perspective. Which may provide some clarity so you can begin to sift through all THE THINGS…
P.P.S You are doing a great job at managing ALL THE THINGS…
That means something different for everyone, as it’s relative to each individual.
Finally, I am PROUD of you for making it this far in life.
Keep going, you have IMPACT…
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