I was talking with a friend this week, and she was telling me how she had procrastinated getting help for personal things she was struggling with. It was only after her inner turmoil started manifesting in her body — intense stress in her back, muscles freezing up, and occasional panic attacks — that she realized she really needed to do something.
It was a story I really related to, and I thought you might, too. How many of us wait until things get really bad before we’re willing to take action?
Especially about issues — like our eating or our inner lives — that we know are going to be thorny and painful, and may take some time to resolve?
(I bet everyone reading this is mentally raising their hands.)
On one hand, I wanted to share this story to remind you that if you are wanting help or support, you should go get some! There’s no need to wait until things get worse (as they inevitably do).
Sometimes it can feel overly indulgent to deal with personal issues when there are more “real” issues at hand — like the need to earn a living or make dinner for your kids or clean your apartment.
Sometimes the things we truly need — like eight hours to veg alone, a massage once a month, or to talk to a professional once a week for four months — seem unfathomably indulgent.
Please consider this your permission slip to get what you truly need.
Please consider this your permission slip to revise your personal definition of “indulgent” and “necessary.”
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But on the other hand, I want to remind you that if you know in the back of your mind that you need to deal with something, but just aren’t ready to face it yet…that’s fine, too.
I mean, yes, most of us would suffer less if we acted sooner on things that we know we need to deal with.
Like our food issues.
Like our personal issues.
But, on the other hand, most of us got into many of our personal struggles because we stopped listening to and trusting ourselves.
To rebuild that trust, we have to start somewhere.
If nothing else, I want you to know that you are allowed to trust that voice that says oh man this is a big ol’ bag of crazy that I’m just not ready to open right now.
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And, as always, please know that I’m sending you strength + support for the week ahead. You’ve got this.