Feeling tired or burnt out?
Take a break. Rest and sleep like there is no tomorrow.
Hurting?
Spill it out. Cry if you must. Sometimes the tears are a form of cleansing.
Don't know what to do?
Seek help.
"It's that simple, but we make life complicated," someone once said at a gathering. Well, it's easy for us to say something until we are in the situation.
I had an online conversation with someone close last night. She is persistently being challenged by health issues and also psychological stress from some things that emotionally hurt her in the past. Accordingly, once triggered, she loses her body reflexes (she will have seizures), her muscles cramp, and her blood pressure shoots up.
At one time, I saw her breathing in and out of a brown paper bag. When asked what was wrong, she said she felt suffocated. She then shared having an oxygen tank in their home for her use whenever her anxiety attacks.
Last night, she truly opened up to me while in a hospital bed (coincidentally, I was lying on one many kilometers away). She admitted her work has been suffering and that she bothers her kids often. Her situation is quite relatable to me due to a similar personal experience years ago. As such, I had real empathy. While I am not a counselor, at least I had something to share - what I went through, what I did to overcome my troubles, the challenges, and how I felt afterward.
She was thankful as we ended our chat, saying it lightened her load and hopeful too, that she would triumph against her demons. I told her I had faith that she would. I bade her goodnight with a fervent and silent prayer she could find her way out (as I did) and live a happier, liberating life.
Last night's conversation gave me moments of retrospection, and in turn, made me grateful that my previous experience (which used to drain me emotionally and cause me much distress) is now being used to help give hope to others. And I'm glad that it no longer haunts or pains me but serves as a good example of how one rose above her most difficult psychological battle.
I'm happy she reached out and I will surely be checking on her more often. I truly hope she recovers soon or at her own pace...
Photo is my own (A mural along Tawang Rd, LTB). 09102024/23:50utc
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