One Foot in front of the Other
By Juliana Lewellen
Sometimes the main goal needs to be just surviving the day.
When we find ourselves struggling emotionally with something heavy, it can begin to manifest in physical ways really quickly.
If you or someone you know is having a particularly challenging time in life, sometimes it feels like nothing anyone can really say or do is helpful in making the pain go away.
This post can be advice that you can give to a loved one who is struggling in a difficult period of their life, or advice that you can take if you are the one in emotional pain.
Give yourself ten minutes to do something you love. Listen to music, take a few photos of nature, write in your journal, read a half a chapter of a book, whatever it is, as long as it brings you some small semblance of peace and you enjoy it.
Drink water, even when you are not thirsty. When we find ourselves going through a particularly rough patch in life, we tend to stop taking care of ourselves in the most basic ways. Sometimes it’s because we are having such a hard time that we forget. It’s such an important way to help provide our body with enough energy to try to work through a difficult time, though. Dehydration will only make you feel worse physically and impede on your ability to feel better mentally + physically.
Eat, even if you are not hungry. Same deal here. Your body needs nutrients to fight off a physical ailment, so it will need nutrients for strength here as well. Anxiety and depression thrive off inadequate nourishment. You need to feed your body in order to have the energy to fight to feel better mentally.
Talk about it. Tell someone you love and trust that you are struggling. Sometimes this can be super hard because we tell ourselves that people are busy and do not have the time to help. Your loved ones want to know that you are having a hard time because they want to help you get through it, trust me. People cannot support us if they don’t know we are in need of the support. Your feelings matter, your pain matters, and you matter. Talk to them.
Leave your room. This one is hard because sometimes you need to legitimately force yourself against your own will to get up. Sometimes your feelings are heavy, and they are too heavy to bring around with you, so they weigh you down right in place. Even if you just get out of bed to take a shower, or step into the sun in your backyard for five minutes, or take a short walk around the block, you are making a difference. Make yourself do it and take deep breaths while doing so. You will be so glad you did.
Sometimes the main goal needs to be just surviving the day. One foot in front of the other.
With being said, if you or someone you love are struggling emotionally with something heavy, therapy is a great way to help make it lighter. Consider scheduling a consultation.