run from your problems or be pulled to your promise

If you know anything about me, you know that I am just a tiny bit obsessed with Disney.

When I came across this quote from Rafiki in The Lion King I wanted to share it with all of you. How powerful are these words!?  And coming from a kid’s movie! 

I have hurt from my past. 

One of these major hurts just came back up recently, haunting my dreams and my everyday life.  So much so, it got to the point that it started to affect my thoughts and attitude.  I felt myself creeping back into that depression I had once been too familiar with.  The negative voices started getting louder in my head.  I thought that just because it had happened years ago that it would just go away with time.  I was wrong.  I never properly dealt with it when it happened, and now it came back, feeling just as fresh as the day it happened.  I quickly realized that I couldn’t handle this on my own.  I couldn’t push it back down because I knew it was going to come back again.  I decided to speak with my counselor about it.  The worst part was reliving those moments again while explaining it to him.  He gave me some really helpful tips on how to handle it but my biggest takeaway was learning that while I may always feel hurt about it, dealing with it head on and talking about my feelings lifted such a huge weight off my shoulders.  Of course, I ran from it at first.  But in the end, I learned so much.  

When Matt died, I assumed I was going to handle things the only way I knew how, which was by running from my problems.  I am so thankful to Sam, Chad, my parents and the rest of my family who encouraged me to seek counseling.  I not only learned coping skills while I was grieving, it helped my mental health in every other aspect too.  I made a commitment to myself to face every feeling, every holiday, every tough moment, and conversation head on.  I’m so glad I did.  By dealing with my problems as they passed and putting in the hard work in each moment that felt too difficult to handle, I learned coping skills that will not only help me in the future, but hopefully are things I can pass to Bennett to break the cycle of unhealthy coping habits.

I want to encourage you, friends.  If you are hurting, it doesn’t matter if it’s past or present, DON’T RUN.  It’s hard, I know.  And sometimes it hurts even more at first.  But I promise you, things will get better.  I’m not saying you should see a counselor (just kidding, I am.  I think everyone should have a weekly meeting for their mental health, but I understand this is not always feasible).  If you have a trusted friend or family member that you can check in with, do it.  Chances are they will be glad to do it.

I’ve said this before, but if you want to continue the conversation or have any questions for me, let me know!  We can chat in the office or you can email me at the office and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

The best is yet to come!
​
Becca