To Anyone Going Through a Tough Time Right Now

I see you’re going through a tough time, and I want you to know you’re not alone.

I know that probably isn’t very comforting right now, because you feel completely alone and I’m not there to sit with you in the dark. But I see you. I hear your silent cry for help and for understanding.

You’re not alone.

You may think you’ve done a good job at masking your pain, at putting on a smile, and you have done so to an untrained eye. But I see through it. I see the tears you cried the night before, the anxiety written all over your body. I see the physical, mental and emotional pain in your eyes where I’ve seen the sparkle before.

You’re not alone.

Someone might say, “stay positive,” or “this too shall pass,” or “you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met and you inspire me.” These words might be just what you need to hear right now. But these might also be the words that make you want to punch someone in the face. Because you’ve been positive, and it’s exhausting. Because even though things pass, it always seems like if it’s not one thing, it’s another, because you feel anything but strong or like an inspiration.

You’re not alone.

You’re fighting a battle only you can understand right now, and maybe that’s what’s the most frustrating — that you don’t actually understand it, or even if you do, you can’t control it. You might not have the words available to describe what it is you’re feeling, and that’s OK.

You’re not alone.

Maybe what you need right now is someone to hold you while you cry. Maybe you need to turn your phone off and sit silently in the dark by yourself. Maybe you need a pint of ice cream or a heartbreak movie. Maybe you need to scream into a pillow or move your body. Maybe you need to sit in the shower, crying, and let the warm water wash everything away. Maybe you need a glass of wine or to vent to your best friend.

Whatever you need, you’re not alone.

I know you can’t imagine how you’ll get through another day like this, how you’ll go to work tomorrow, get the kids ready for school, make food to nourish your body or even have the energy to shower. I know you feel helpless and hopeless.

You’re not alone.

One day, you’ll wake up feeling better. You might not realize how good you feel until you start to feel like crap again, but you’ll function better than you have in a while. That sparkle in your eye will start to come back. You’ll feel the fog lift and the sunshine on your skin. That dark veil will lift and it might even feel like a distant memory, even if it’s only been a couple days since you didn’t know how you could possibly go on.

You’re not alone.

Bask in the sunshine, in that feeling of hope that maybe the worst is over. Reconnect to your breath and to the power within you. Reflect on all you’ve been through, yet you still get up every day. Acknowledge your strength, resilience and tenacity. These feelings might be fleeting, and you might get pulled under again once you get a gasp of fresh air. And if that happens, it might kick your ass and hurt even more than the time before.

But remember, you’re not alone.

You’re a warrior. This too shall pass.

You’re not alone.

With love,

B. xoxo