A Promise Kept…(Part 1)
Overcoming a year long mental breakdown, brain fog and finding purpose again. (Originally written on 16/08/23)
Hiii there! Long time no message! I know, I know, I promised to send you messages frequently, and promises are made to be kept right?? Guilty as charged!
Contrary to what my social media might portray, I’ve had a really rough year. I will spare you the details, but yeah, I encountered some personal challenges and business loses that caused me to have a mental breakdown. I was constantly moody, depressed and tired. I felt helpless and found myself crying to bed most nights. At some point I thought I was permanently stuck and could never find my way again. Anyways, I promised princess I would not give up on her. I promised to stay fighting until I got her back on her feet again.
First, I had to overcome a major battle which is the ‘mental’ battle. During this process, I experienced firsthand how difficult it is to overcome the battle in your mind, but also came to the realization that once the battle in the mind is won, the war is essentially over. Winning the battle in my mind was crucial to me being able to pick myself back up and go back into drive mode and here are three things I did:
I slept — As an overachiever, I sometimes push myself to unhealthy limits and don’t realize how exhausted I have gotten. Over a three year period, I hardly rested and just kept working on overdrive. Well, that caught up with me as I had extreme burn out which led to the mental breakdown.
I prayed — I’m Christian and I believe in the power of Christ and his proclamation over my life. I spent a lot of time speaking to my Heavenly Father, asking him to put me back on the right path and furnish me with his strength and grace.
I read — I love books, reading them, holding them, being around them, lol! But during this period, I sought a specific knowledge. I wanted to know how to get out of limbo, how to get unstuck, how to start over, how to get back in motion. I needed to find myself again and the following books really helped: The Holy Bible, The Secret – Rhonda Bryne, Ikigai (The Japanese secret to a long and happy life) – Fransesc Miralles and Hector Garcia, The richest man in Babylon – George S Clarson
Now, I know you might have felt lost, uncertain or unfulfilled in the past few days, weeks or even months. I cannot tell you for sure when you will stop feeling this way, but I can assure you that you will. ‘Time’ and ‘Will” are powerful factors here. How hard are you willing to fight for the life you know you deserve, dear friend? Here are a few friendly tips I hope will help you:
First, remember that life is neither a sprint nor a marathon, each one of us is on a unique journey. As much as social media may make you feel you are running out of time, you are not.
Rest. Take as much time off as you need to, stop feeling guilty about resting. Contrary to what society has led us to believe, resting is not unproductive, it’s an important step for productivity, only healthy people can be productive.
Pray. I don’t know which religion you practice, but this is the time to go to God, ask him to ease your temple and put you on the path he has designed for you. He’s listening, go ahead and ask.
Read. I recommend the books that helped me when I felt lost and confused. I hope that they help you too.
Lastly, let me remind you that the world needs your win as much as you do. There’s a space in the universe that only you can light up, don’t deprive us of your light by giving up. I know it’s not easy, but I believe in you. You got this. ❤️
One Response