I won’t lie, y’all. This semester has been a rough one for me. While I usually love to preach optimism and good vibes, it has been pretty hard to push through these last few weeks with a smile. From one thing to another, it just seems like life is exhausting my energy rather than supplying me with energy and excitement. That statement alone upsets me. The way I have dealt with my emotions, too, upsets me. However, today I write to y’all to let you know: it’s okay.
There’s two ways I handle emotions. First, I go to my friends, post on my private Snapchat story, and I talk. This one is for smaller scale problems. Or, I shut down. Completely and in every way. I don’t use social media often. I don’t leave my room. I don’t talk to many people. I lay in my bed and allow myself to feel sad. And unfortunately, this semester has called for numerous of those days. Is it the healthiest? No. But today, I am attempting to acknowledge that and express the way I process things in hopes to make y’all self-reflect too.
Now, it is always good to lean on your loved ones for support. I don’t do this as often as I should; however, when I have opened up to people, it was always an experience that left me feeling rejuvenated or supported. I definitely recommend opening up more, if that is something you struggle doing. It is important to acknowledge your emotions and make them known to your people, as no one can be a mind reader.
However, I am not a professional by any means, but you know, sometimes I do think it’s appropriate to lay in bed all day and just shut out the world. I find a lot of comfort, in times of serious stress, in just lying in my bed, hopping on Disney Plus (Lilo & Stitch is my go-to), and ignoring all of life’s responsibilities for the day. Obviously, I attend class and I do my assignments, but I take a break from social obligations and the need of feeling like I have to be doing something with someone. After my day of isolation concludes, I take a nice long shower and I get ready for the next day. Not always have I felt better the next day, in one case I took another day to myself, but usually, I push myself to get ready and I schedule a meal date…that seemingly gets me on a better track.
Though evidently, sadness and stress cannot be fixed by a lazy day, a shower, or a meal date. A week or so ago, I found myself just completely unable to be in the moment, to feel something other than sad, and no matter how hard I tried to socialize, I was not there. I took a day. I talked with my therapist. I focused on what I was struggling with and what I could do for each of those things. I opened up more. Day by day, bit by bit, things started to get better. It all boiled down to acknowledging my emotions and what I could identify being the reasons for it and what I could do about it.
In the end, life is tough. One day, you can be on top of the world, the next day you get news that breaks your heart. That’s not unique to any individual, rather it is the rollercoaster we are all on.
Reader, all I can say is if you find yourself in this position, do what you feel is best and what you would tell your best friend to do if they were in this position. Maybe it’s taking a day off, maybe it’s going to a friend, maybe it’s something unique to you, whatever it is, do what’s best for you. And if you’re not struggling currently, remember the famous saying, “Be kind. For everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about,” and have conversations about emotions with your pals. You never know what you will discover.