“Hear, God, my cry, attend to my prayer! From the end of the earth echoes my call to You

When my heart is ebbing—

Lead me to a rock that towers above me!”

Inspiration

It’s no news to any of us that we are in a mental and spiritual marathon. We have our high moments and we have our moments of sadness, grief, and anxiety. If we allow ourselves to be quiet for a moment, we can feel ourselves slip into despair. That’s why we try to fill our days with connection, puzzles, cooking, television, anything to keep our minds from taking us down. But it IS a marathon. We do have to allow ourselves those moments where we cry, where we question what our future will look like. And then we rise again. Our hearts will ebb, but it’s important to hold onto the things that ground us, the things that tell us “you’re going to get through this.” “You’re going to survive.” “It’ll all be worth it.”

Here are some things that ground me when I feel my heart going faint, when I feel overwhelmed by the length I have to go:

I call a family member or a close friend

I plan something to look forward to (like a family zoom fondue night)

I read an inspiring book (when things fall apart, man’s search for meaning)

I organize parts of my house that have never seen the light of day.

I ask my daughters to teach me something new (I’ve learned to draw anime characters and am definitely finding my way around tik tok)

I sleep, I bake, I play games

What are the things that keep you grounded? If needed, write them out and hang them somewhere (fridge is good) so that when you do start to tire, you can remind yourself.

Most importantly, recognize that you are in a marathon. That you will have moments of complete exhaustion, of being “over it.” Don’t let those moments discourage you. Instead look back on them and remind yourself of how far you’ve come.

Love you!

Gabi