Dang, when tough seasons last that long, it gets uniquely challenging. First of all because of erosion…it’s just hard to hold hope against a tide of discouragement. It’s hard to feel like you are going to press on and try again when you get knocked back down a hundred times, and you’re just plain exhausted. And it’s hard to TALK about things being rough for that long because eventually you just feel like you’ve run out of “friend credits” when things don’t change. And when you don’t talk about these things, it compounds whatever you were struggling with with LONELINESS. Which only makes it all harder to deal with.
I can relate to this on a few levels. I’ve struggled with addiction for a really long time which can feel difficult to share about over and over and over, because it’s the same story, different day, and that can feel like eventually you run your “allotted share” of complaints or struggles if it’s the same thing. And also currently my family has been going through a lot of medical issues…but for the past two years. And at some point it feels like - I don’t even want to talk about it. It’s just exhausting to repeat. Exhausting to go through. I feel bitter about it, and that’s a tough place to be.
Whatever it is you’re facing, I’m sorry that you’re still under-the-thumb of the difficulty. That’s really challenging to stay buoyant in the face of that kind of unrelenting pressure. I hope to be a reminder to you that you are strong to persevere. That when you look back on this season, you’ll see growth, and you’ll see challenge that helped you become, helped you develop in ways that you needed. You are writing a good story, and all good stories have the “valley of the soul”.
Thankful for you writing in here. In this alongside you.
Creativity can be such a powerful and healing outlet during the most challenging seasons of our life. It offers this very special space in our mind and body where we can be free, allow ourselves to feel and get rid of all the barrirs that prevent us to connect with ourselves in different circumstances. It’s great to hear that you have found in music and art places to rest your heart when your life is met with adversity. I’m sorry that the last year has been rough though - it’s hard when it feels like struggles and unwanted events just keep on piling up without real possibility to breathe and rest. Hopefully, you are starting to find this year a sense of closure for the things you’ve been through. There’s something rewarding when you get to the point of having the possibility to see, from a different position, all the steps you’ve taken and all the growth that unfolded while you were doing your best to cope and to keep pushing through.
Thank you for being here today and for sharing how life has been recently. We’re rooting for you at Heartsupport.