I find myself softly singing “Lean on Me” to myself in times like this. This classic by Bill Withers has stuck with me since college when my roommate used to play his album all of the time. It serves as my own personal anthem in times of stress.
What else do I do to help me through these days, weeks, months? I reach out for calming mantras. Breathe in. Breathe out. Count to 10. I try to find time to make it to a Combat HIIT class so I can take out my frustration on a punching bag.
I drink a glass (or two) of red wine with a close friend who listens and knows when to talk.
Perspective is an effective word. It helps me turn the focus inwardly from me and outwardly toward others. I know that what others are going through is so much more. By no means am I minimizing or trivializing the depths of angst, sorrow and stress others feel in comparison to my issues. But when I keep my issues into perspective and ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’, I know that I can be stronger for others when they need it. A mountain in the road may feel so insurmountable that it may seem it can never be climbed over. A valley so deep may seem as though the other side may never be reached. Singing a song probably isn’t going to help some of the issues my family or friends are dealing with, but we are all here to help each other get through the good times and the tough times.
The sun sets and then the sun will rise again. We have been given another day to try again, to look at issues with a different perspective. Another day to find somebody to lean on. Little by little, step by step, we come out of the darkness.
*This post is dedicated to Deb Larson and her family. May you know that everyone at the Warehouse is here if you need somebody to lean on.