Perhaps you are floating in a hopeless cloud, waiting for questions to get answered magically. You crave change but are unsure how to move forward.
Maybe you're dealing with anxiety, depression, or everything under the sun. However, there is a better way to live. Light can still shine bright again, bringing absolute peace. An entire, thriving life is waiting at your doorstep. When you believe the impossible can be possible again, beautiful chapters can unfold. Even if you need help along the way, faith can trump fear.
If you’re stuck in a rut, life may feel destined to stay on the pause button. But God hears you even if you are scared to press play. Even if you feel like time isn’t on your side, or you haven't quite achieved your goals yet. He knows when you are down in the dumps and trying to stay afloat. He also knows your heart, and with time will answer uniquely.
With time, minor changes can add up over time. When having an idea is executed, that’s how change forms and routine develops. It is the day-to-day actions that make all the difference. May you feel comforted with joy in every brave and uncertain step.
When Hope Seemed Impossible
I remember many difficult seasons feeling trapped frozen in cement. Anxious and terrible thoughts consumed every second of the day. I was desperately praying for a way out, a sign, or anything to feel heard. The sobbing tears drenched my hot cheeks, and the achiness in my chest was just enough to bear.
I was burning on fumes. My surroundings and circumstances were less than ideal, and every dart thrown was a fighting battle. A battle I thought would never end, constantly waiting for the next bullseye to hit.
My heart, pulsating one hundred beats per minute as my fuzzy head was dancing in circles. I felt alone in a cold, empty room, lacking schedule and routine. Mustering up any form of energy felt like jogging up a mountain. Everything seemed like it was falling apart, yet little did I know that life was about to turn in my favor, even if it took years to develop slowly.
In a dark hole, I felt like a failure. I had let everyone down that mattered in my life, including myself. Although nothing during that time was entirely my fault, it sure felt that way.
I thought:
Who’s fault could it be, after all?
How did I get here?
I was gasping to breathe, literally and figuratively, and nothing else mattered other than prayer and oxygen in my lungs. I made one conscious choice after another to change if I wanted to survive. Each subsequent step led me to where I am today, and I am finally finding health, happiness, and my faith has never been stronger.
There's Still Hope
If you’re going through an unbelievable season, you may fear that the haze will forever overshadow any form of hope. While no one has walked in your exact shoes, you must trust. I am here to tell you that although life will always have perks and pains, every uphill season has eventually shown me such beauty and meaning.
Sometimes relief comes from therapy, prayer, or medicine. And that's okay. I’m forever grateful for anti-anxiety pills in my early twenties, and I’m also thankful for the life I live today. While my journey is never-ending, I reflect on every struggle and sign I've overcome to get to the other side.
It took several seasons filled with change, hardships, and realizations, but I am finding my truth more and more each day, carving out what fulfills me and what will sustain oxygen in my lungs. I am learning to let go of all that doesn't serve a meaningful purpose and lean on what matters.
You can choose too. You can select the next best steps, including healthy surroundings and tools. Setting boundaries for your heart and mind can be the missing link needed to soothe your spirit and start anew.
Let me give you some words of comfort. For those grieving and dealing, it’s nobody’s fault. Sometimes the most challenging lessons break our souls, only to find the missing pieces one by one later in our journey.
Perhaps you are called to find comfort in new things, to seek help, or to help others along the way. Your path may be the mysterious teachings needed to see the light. As much as we feel the need to make sense of events, we may not know everything, and that is a gift worth releasing, catapulting you to new, awakening levels even in the depths of despair.
While it's not easy, close your eyes and imagine what your life could look like, and start there. A blank canvas capable of bright colors filled with a joyful peace.
4 Ways To Overcome
1. Start With a Vision
See the good in your life. Map out the bigger picture first, then fine-tune the details later on. You are capable of more than you realize. Think of all the ways happiness enters your life. If nothing comes to mind, think of all the ways you could potentially create that marvelous feeling.
Focus on the joys and what you naturally gravitate towards, not what others expect you to do. If professional help is needed, that is a sign of strength, not weakness. You have one life to live here on earth and deserve beautiful gifts. Believing is what makes everything else possible. Close your eyes, imagine the possibilities, and ask yourself the following:
What can I see myself doing?
How do I want to live?
How do I want to be remembered?
What would be a perfect day, week, month, or year?
2. Seek Support
As humans, we crave community, and having a hand to hold seems like a small action step but can make the most significant impact. Never underestimate the power of human interaction and for the wheels to start turning in a new direction with a straightforward decision.
I had several meetings with someone who I greatly admired. Their comforting presence and uplifting spirit ended up being the medicine I needed in every guided dose. Words of wisdom transformed my days, and as simple as it seemed, it was the fuel to start my engine again as a familiar breeze swept across my skin.
It was the permission slip I needed to hear out loud, even if I was thinking the same in my head. I felt as though it was the confirmation needed. A strength ignited within as I beamed with a genuine smile from the inside out. I thought it, all of it, which was a feeling of unexplainable peace.
3. Create a Calendar
Sticking to a schedule isn't always easy, but you are more likely to get things done if it's written down and planned. Create a reasonable schedule every week, and start small without the overwhelm. If I don't write tasks down, chances are they won't get done. Even if things don't go exactly to plan or in order, progress is better than perfection.
Give yourself grace for accomplishing what you do, cross off the list, and for attempting. Lean on the tiny victories, and don’t forget to celebrate the wins. For those who are scared or nervous, you can achieve and overcome obstacles, and we can do it in a healthy, sustaining way.
Start slow. Create a baseline calendar for the week, but write a daily checklist. Living in a digital world certainly has its perks, but I often become unfocused the more I stare at my phone, so having the best of both worlds works best for me.
4. Have Faith
Last but not least, I believe the most powerful tool is walking and leading with faith, trusting yourself along the way. Trust the process; trust the timing. It’s so worth the long journey.
Faith ties everything together and the common denominator above all—trusting in not only the good times but especially in the bad. Sometimes the only way out is to get through the storm.
Spark Your Fire
I hope these truths spark a fire within. My goal for you is that you will see the hope in the haze, even when you get lost in the maze. You are so worthy of a full life.