Resilient

You guys know that strange calm you feel after a really ugly cry? When you take a hot shower and put on your fuzzy socks right after, and your worries are momentarily put into a different perspective (I really hope I'm not alone on this fuzzy sock thing). It's almost like that release of emotions clears your vision up a bit. That's called catharsis. And let me tell you, this morning, it got lit at my little (maybe not so little) catharsis party. So I figured I'd keep it real and share some insight for when you find yourself feeling like, well, you know:

Obvious statement: life is tough. It requires constant challenge and change. It can be painful. Shit gets scary for all of us at one point or another. But if I've learned anything from my own personal struggles, it's that what's most important is how you respond to the tough stuff. It's how you allow it to teach you and help make you stronger because let's be honest; things don't get easier. We just get better. 

If I can get a little personal with you guys; the holidays are a little harder for me than the rest of the year. My closest family is far away and it's not often that we are able to see each other. There's also the fact that living independently can be quite stressful. I won't fake the funk and make it seem like I'm living a Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle at 26. This morning I found myself feeling more "alone" and stressed than normal, and next thing I knew the anxiety felt like too much for me to handle. In comes the ugly Kim K crying face, the barely audible phone call to Mom where I'm sure I was barely speaking real words. Allll the drama. 

Once I was able to calm down and chill out with the pity party, I shifted my anxiety to gratitude. Mind you, this is something that sometimes we have to force. But it's necessary. Focus on what is good. Try to think about what you're going to learn from this moment and how it is better preparing you for your next tough moment. I look back on all the times I worried I couldn't handle something, and realized I always made it through. No matter how dramatically I did so. And the next time I face a challenge or am feeling overwhelmed, those past experiences provide me with comfort. Because they've shown me that I can always make it through.

I'm not going to tell you to just "shake it off" when life gets rough. Or minimize your pain by saying that "it could always be worse". We've all got our own battles we are dealing with. But next time you find yourself having a moment when you're unsure how to fight through it, just remind yourself that you've made it this far. And you are becoming a better version of yourself with every lesson you are able to embrace.