Life as we know it has changed. Nothing is the same as it was a year ago.

Routines are different, habits are being uprooted, new paths are being forged.

There is no “new normal” because we are constantly evolving and normal no longer exists.

At times like this, I’ve noticed that the people who struggle the most are the ones that refuse to let go of the old. They cling to it like a child cradles a beloved blanket that has to go in the wash. They don’t want to let it go even though they know that once they let it go, it will come back to them better than before.

Embracing the constant upheavals of life is a lot easier than fighting them. I am 1000% guilty of trying to cling to how things were.

Even when I knew they were broken.

Even when I knew that letting go meant better things could come into my life.

Even when I knew that what I was hanging onto was holding me back.

Letting go has been a bittersweet process for me. In order for a tree to grow, the seed must die first. For the butterfly to emerge, the caterpillar has to cocoon itself and hide away from the world. For the rainbow to appear, the rain must fall.

If you are in what feels like a darker part of your life… a place where you’re desperate for sun, for motion, for progress… take a deep breath. You will be ok. You will absolutely make it through this. September is Suicide Prevention Month. As a survivor of suicide, I am passionate about staying strong, about the need to keep moving forward, about the desire to connect and feel heard and seen.

I hear you. I see you.

I care about you.

You can do this. Every upheaval is one step closer to where you want to be, even if it feels like you’re moving in the completely wrong direction.

Trust your gut. Take deep breaths. And make the next move.

You’ve got this.

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