To those who are struggling,
I see you, I know you, I am you. Although we all undoubtedly have different personal issues we are dealing with, we are universal in one way: we are all struggling in the present to find a reason to work towards the future. Everyone has felt this way at one point or another—some longer than others.
Chances are, you know the signs—the signs that the Struggle is taking over. Maybe your grades are dropping. Maybe you haven’t been showering enough. Maybe the late assignments are piling up. Maybe you’ve been isolating yourself from your friends. Maybe you snapped at your mom last week when she called and asked how you were doing. Maybe you broke down crying over something trivial, like the dirty dishes in the sink or a cup of juice that spilled.
You feel like this is your new reality: a reality where you dread each and every day because when you wake up, the Struggle will be there to greet you. It feels like it never ends. There will always be something new to stress about, something new on your plate, so what’s the point of going on?
You just want the world to stop for a moment so you can take a breath. So make it stop.
Put everything down.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
For 30 seconds, or a minute, or as long as you need.
Think of nothing.
When you’re ready, open your eyes and relax your shoulders. And read this, aloud or silently, to yourself:
“I am struggling right now. I understand that. I’ve felt like this before, I feel it now, and I will inevitably feel it in the future. It’s just a part of being human. I may not believe it right now, but I will get through this. In order to get through this, I will work on the problems I can control, and I will stop stressing over the problems I can’t control. I will reward myself for every small thing I accomplish, even if it’s just brushing my teeth or organizing a few papers. Most of all, I will not let the Struggle consume me. It may be hard, but I will push through it. I will get out of bed everyday and face the day, even if I hate every second of it. And when the Struggle threatens to take over again, I will stop, breathe, and remember that everything is okay. I am so much stronger than my Struggle.”