Oops!

Looking back on that time in my life, I can see now that I needed a break. Unfortunately, I didn’t take it. I powered through and forced myself to act and feel ‘normal’. This has haunted me in my adult life ever since. I’ve learned from this experience is that if you try to ignore grief, it will find you. If you push grief down, it will come up later (at very inopportune times). If you don’t take care of your mental health, it will always be a teetering tower, waiting to topple. I’ve only learned in recent years what “self-care” actually means. It’s feeling your feelings without guilt or judgment. It’s taking time off when you need it and saying no when you mean it. It’s putting time and effort into the relationships that matter most. It means taking your physical and mental health into account when you make your choices. If I had known then what I know now, my life may have been very different, but I guess we’ll never know…