When Things FALL Apart
It is not a matter of if, but when, things will fall apart. And it is not a one-and-done type situation. I hate to say it, and yet life it one giant struggle. We will have moments, days, and years where things are going swimmingly. And then we will have those same amounts of time when things just feel like they’re in the shitter. It happens to all of us. None of us are exempt. And yet some of us are more apt to deal with the struggles than others.
For me, fall is my favorite time of year. It’s also the time that so many college students struggle, and when the changing of the season alerts us to the impending winter. The limited sunlight and cooler temperatures. I love winter too, but I know the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real thing for some people. Again, it is okay when things start to fall apart. This is normal.
I can tell when I am struggling because I tend to be rather impatient and cynical. I am just of in that rut right now, or at least teetering on the edge of it. COVID has done a real number on folks, me included. It is hard not to travel for work. It is hard to be so removed from my family during this time of stress. It has been hard to navigate what feels like a constantly moving target. It is just exhausting. I am exhausted.
My perspective is that this is not forever. We will be able to travel freely again. I will be again to hug my friends and family soon. I am digging deep to acknowledge and affirm that this rut is only temporary. Of course, that temporary could be for months, or years at this rate, but it will end at some point. For the people who do not like this think this will end, they are the ones who will struggle the most. They are the ones who may not be okay. They will believe our current situation is forever; permanent. They will not want to exist in this space. For me, that is a harsh reality.
In a world where we were already on social media too much, now because of COVID it’s ten-fold. We are seeing others who are trying out new hobbies and smiling in quarantine. Meanwhile, we may be miserable, sick, or beyond anxious. My favorite quote right now rings so true to where everyone is in the world:
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Stop comparing where you are – physically, academically, socially, emotionally – to others; especially right now during COVID! Take care of yourself. Know that everyone is wrestling with doubts and fear of the unknown, no matter how glamorous they are playing out their lives on social media to be. The struggle is real. We are all in it. And right now, things are still falling apart. They can continue to do that and know that at some point we’ll be able to put the pieces back together. It may be tomorrow, or it may be in two years. Hang in there.
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