For an extremely long period of time. I was miserable. I was putting in really long hours in the office, which left me extremely short hours at home. All of that made me say pretty much every day that I was drowning. I was exhausted, angry, and resentful; yet, I didn’t share any of these feelings with anyone in the office.
You see, I was watching all of these other women who were working what was seemingly the same amount of hours that I was, they were traveling, and they also had family at home – and they seemed to have it all together.
There was no way I was going to open my big mouth and start telling them how I was feeling. I didn’t want to sound completely incompetent and lose my place on that corporate ladder that I was climbing. Finally, about a year later, I decided while standing in the doorway of a co-worker’s office to share with her what I had been going through.
After talking for a couple of minutes and she hadn’t said anything, I started to get nervous. Like she thinks I’m crazy, that I am incompetent, and she’s going to go tell everyone what’s been going on.
She finally says, “I’m so sorry that I haven’t said anything to you, but it’s like I’m staring in a mirror.”
She had been feeling the same exact way I had, and neither one of us had any idea. I felt all alone for such a long period of time, and it was completely unnecessary. You may be facing a situation where you feel all alone, whether that’s at work, in a relationship, or something at home. I am here to share with you that you are not alone.
When we feel like we’re the only ones that are going through something, we eventually start to withdraw. You become distant, disinterested in work, or distant from that relationship. Eventually, that leads to depression. When you open up and start reaching out to share with others how you’re feeling, you physically feel better; you start sleeping better at night. There are others who have gone through what you are going through now.
As bad as you think the situation is or as challenging as it might be, someone feels how you felt and has some solutions for you. How do you go about sharing? I recommend you start off slowly; share with just one person, and come at it from a place of trying to find a solution versus complaining about your situation. When you do share how you’re feeling, not only does it help you feel better, it can then relieve the stress for others.
It also sets an example for those that you’re a role model to, to see that life isn’t perfect – that you are also struggling with the same things.
What are you going through right now that you haven’t shared with someone? Who can you share that with today? If you want to share with me, I am open. Direct message me and let me know what challenges you’re facing, just to feel good to get that off your chest.