Posts Tagged: stress

9. Trying to Hide my Brokenness

Since leaving my career in social work, I have come to realize how unhealthy I was emotionally. While I was in it, especially in the last year, I knew life was hard but I thought I was dealing with it ok.  If you had asked me, “how are you doing?”  I would have probably say “ok” or “good” and I truly believed that.  The funny thing I thought I was carrying it well and that I was fooling the people around me. But in all reality I was not doing well and I was not fooling those that were around me especially those that were the closest to me.  And when you are not doing well emotionally, there are signs that begin to show physically and emotionally.

Physically, I did not have the energy that I needed to get everything done that was needed to get done.  I have been told by friends that I had a glaze in my eyes especially at the end of my career in social work.  And that I looked like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders; that I carried myself in a slouched manor.  Weeks after I left my career in social work, I personally noticed that my eyes seemed to be brighter.  And I had so many people compliment on my eyes.  I thought it was amusing because my eye color had not changed.  About a month after I quit, I had a friend who was talking to me and in the middle of this conversation, he stopped and said ” you have really pretty eyes.  Its like they are glossier than normal eyes and I can see joy in your eyes.”

For me emotionally, I would have crying spells and not knowing why.  Or things would not get done that needed to get done or they would take me twice as long as they would.  I did not have the ability to focus on things like I should have.  It took me 5 months after, I started therapy to admit that I was depressed.  Even to this day, it is hard for me to admit that.  I know that is crazy but it is the truth.  I know some of this is because of the stigma depression carries in our society.  And the other part is that I was the person who was helping others through their life trials and emotional illnesses.  I was the one who was the strength and the advocate for others as a social worker.  It was hard to admit that I, the pillar for others, was just as broken as the person I was helping.  I was just broken in a different way.

Reality is, that we all have something that we are struggling with no matter where you are at in life and what your economic status is.  Economic status is not the only definition of poverty.  Poverty is the lack of resources in these areas of your life: financial, language (ability to speak in formal register), emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationships/role models and knowledge of middle class hidden rules(this is according to Dr. Ruby Payne).  I look at this list and last year I was impoverished in more than one area of my life.

So no matter how much I tried to hide my poverty and brokenness, it still came out in ways that I could no longer hide.  Maybe if I had to be willing to admit this sooner, I might of not gone through everything I went through.  But reality is that some of these things were going to happen no matter either way because some of them were out of my control and others needed to happen for me to reach the end of my rope.  And once I reached the end of my rope, I was willing to trust God to lead my life.  I was no longer trying to figure things out because I did not have the energy to.  I was just resting in His presence because that was all I could do.

Life is a journey and it is in this journey that we walk through some valleys and mountain tops.  And no matter whether we are in the valley or the mountain top there will be storms that we are going to weather.  It will be hard to weather these storms but you don’t need to do it alone.  God is right there with us as we walk through this journey called life.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

So if you are not doing well, be willing to admit it and reach out to someone who can help you through it.  Sometimes this is God, a friend or a licensed counselor.  If you need a counselor, look for a counselor in your area or check out Open Path Collective.  Admitting you need help is not a weakness but a strength.

 

 

***This is part of a series of blog posts of me sharing about burnout and things I have been learning through this.  They are numbered in the order that they are written in and to indicate that they are part of this series.***

8. When Waiting Gets Tiring…

Have you ever waited for something for a while and it takes longer than you expected it to be?  You think I have waited long enough and whatever you are waiting on can come to fruition anytime now.  This is where I was a couple weeks ago.

Part of my season of rest has been waiting for God to lead me to my next step.  It is easy to say “I am good and just trusting God.” when asked how are life is going.  But then there are times that this isn’t true.  In the beginning, the waiting wasn’t that bad.  But after a couple months of resting and waiting on God’s timing, it caught up to me.

It was a Monday afternoon and I was watching a Steve Harvey clip that came up on my Facebook.  In this clip, Steve talked about how God got him to where he is today and that if God can do it for him then God can do it for you too.  And as I heard those words tears started to come to my eyes. I realized at that moment the waiting in this season was being to wear on me.  And that even though I trust God and His timing for my life, I realized in that moment I was starting to doubt.  I was getting tired of my season.  In this season of rest, I have gotten so many no’s and the no’s started to wear on my spirit and emotions.

I started to doubt and question… If I had done the right thing by quitting my job with no job in sight? Was that really what God wanted me to do?  Was it what I needed to do for myself?

That night I went to the Bible study and we chose one person to share what we were struggling with.  And when it was my turn, part of me wanted to just shut down what I was feeling but I knew I needed to share.  As I began to share with my friend, tears came to my eyes again and they kept coming as I talked about my feelings and doubts.  After my friend prayed for me and I shed some tears, I felt better.  My doubts and feelings were still there but after that I was reminded that I was not alone in my journey.

I realized it is ok for me to have these doubts and feelings but it is what I do with them that is the important part.  If I decided to dwell on my doubts and feeling rather than sharing them with someone else and giving them to God.  It would have lead to worry, worry to anxiety, and anxiety to stress.  Worry, stress and anxiety robs us of our peace and joy.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  – Matthew 6:25-34

Another lesson I have learned through this season of waiting and rest, is that I do not have the right to say when my waiting is up.  Because when I try to make things happen that are not meant to happen yet, I am taking the role of God in my life.  I am not trusting Him.  He is  sovereign and knows what is best for me.  He sees the whole picture, I don’t.  I only see life through my view.  The reasons as to why my waiting period has not ended could be limitless.  There maybe something that God is trying to teach me or He wants me to truly learn what it means to trust Him or maybe I am suppose to be available to help or encourage someone.  But I do know that God can deal with my questions, feelings and doubts.  When I make the choice to go to God with my feelings, questions and doubts, though they may not all be solved, my peace and joy returns because I am trusting Him in the season of waiting.
***This is part of a series of blog posts of me sharing about my burnout and things I have been learning through this.  They are numbered in the order that they are written in and to indicate that they are part of this series.***