When Life 'Lifes' You

Sometimes life doesn't just get busy.

Sometimes it absolutely 'lifes' you. What do I mean by that?

I mean when it feels like, life has come for you.

One thing happens. Then another. Then something else comes completely out of left field.

Someone gets sick. A relationship falls apart. You lose someone. Money becomes tight. Your child is struggling. Work becomes impossible. Something happens that changes everything.

And before you've had a chance to process one thing, you're dealing with the next.

All the things you usually do to keep yourself okay -

Out the window.

The routines disappear.

You're eating whatever is easiest.

The washing is somewhere in a pile.

Messages go unanswered.

Appointments get forgotten.

Exercise isn't happening.

You're cancelling plans.

You're doing the absolute bare minimum in some areas while somehow carrying an enormous amount in others.

And you might look at yourself and think:

What is happening to me?

You're surviving.

Survival doesn't always look dramatic,

Sometimes survival looks like crying on the bathroom floor.

But sometimes it looks like going to work.

Making lunches.

Replying, “Yep, all good!”

Doing the school run.

Laughing with someone.

Putting dinner on.

And then sitting in your car for ten minutes because you don't have it in you to get out yet.

We can be incredibly functional while we're struggling.

When life becomes relentless, our priorities change.

We're no longer thinking about becoming the healthiest, most organised, emotionally regulated version of ourselves.

We're thinking about getting through today.

And sometimes that's enough.

This might not be the season for doing better.

There is so much pressure to respond to difficult periods by doing more.

Get back into your routine.

Exercise.

Meal prep.

Journal.

Meditate.

Be present.

Work on yourself.

Sometimes those things help.

And sometimes they become another list of things you're failing to do while you're already trying desperately to keep your head above water.

There are seasons where growth isn't the priority.

Survival is.

Maybe the goal right now isn't to get everything back under control.

Maybe it's figuring out what actually needs your energy and what can be allowed to fall away for a while.

Maybe dinner can be toast.

Maybe the washing can wait.

Maybe you don't need to reply.

Maybe you're not going to handle everything beautifully.

Maybe getting yourself and the people you love through this period is enough.

And eventually, you come back.

Survival mode isn't somewhere we want to live forever.

Eventually there can be space to look at what happened.

To process what you didn't have the capacity to process while you were in it.

To notice what it cost you.

To rebuild routines.

To reconnect with people.

To understand yourself again.

But you don't have to rush there while life is still coming for you.

Sometimes the work isn't about thriving.

Sometimes it's about finding the next solid piece of ground.

And staying there long enough to catch your breath.