Struggle

We all have struggles, so why censor it?
-Catherine Urban

The past week has been quite a challenge. Everything from my personal life to my professional was impacted by whatever was going on with me. I was experiencing an internal struggle: challenges with my self-worth, telling myself stories about my value, and what other people thought of me. I weighed myself down further with the belief that I was alone in all of this-- that those around me were not the support system that I needed or craved.

The more I collided with these experiences, the more of a wall I put up around myself and I continued to force my emotions and feelings under the surface. That was until I had a meltdown on Friday. Well, less of a meltdown and more of an implosion.

The best example that I can give is when construction workers take down a building. From the outside, you see puffs of smoke as the dynamite tears apart the inside, and then suddenly the entire building collapses upon itself. After internalizing all of my stresses and challenges I imploded. It wasn't good for me nor was it helpful to the relationships that I have with family, friends, and colleagues.

To get myself in the right headspace, I headed to my happy place- my yoga mat. As I lay in savasana at the end of class the instructor read the quote that began this post. “We all have struggles, so why censor it?”

I continue to ask myself this question.

Why do we hold back all of our challenges and frustrations? I believe it has a lot to do with perfectionism. We don’t want others to see how imperfect we are.

Next time you find yourself in this situation, take a deep breath. Let that deep breath pause the cyclone of thought and doubt. Then get those thoughts out of you: talk it out with a friend or therapist, journal, or just talk to yourself in your car.

Remember that you are not alone in this journey. The struggle is real- but not insurmountable. Talk it through, share your journey, discuss the struggle- don’t censor it!