Showing Up to Work With Heartbreak…?? ??

Showing Up to Work With Heartbreak…?? ??

I’m not 100% sure what's poppin’ in the Universe, but I swear since Aug 2021 last year to now, A LOT OF family, friends, and amazing people in the #LinkedIN network are dealing with--

Some bull$h1t ??

-Stroke. ?? ??

-Suicide.??

-Divorce.??

-Car Accidents.????

-Infidelity.??

-Death in the family.?? ??

-COVID, like the actual Global Pandemic ??

-Bankrupty.??

-Family responsibilities (taking care of Grandma/Grandpa)??

-Layoffs.??

-Medical Bills.??

-Unemployment.?? ??

-Military Transition.??

-STUDENT LOAN DEBT (my guy, $400,000?!? Insert any Samuel L. Jackson phrase you’d like)??

-Family Let Downs (repeated).??

-Broken Relationships.?? ??

-Addiction.?

-Cancer/Disease diagnosis.????

I’m like, damn, how do y’all show up to work?

But I’m constantly reminded of the old phrase to “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about.”

Unfortunately for me, I typically pick up on this…

?? It's a vibe.

??A feeling.

??A body language people can’t fake (its always in the face).

And I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but I can’t help but notice how many people try to shrug it off and ‘show up to work’.

????Its kind of how I felt about my repeated failures during my #militarytransition journey

--Walk it off.

--I’ll be fine.

--I got this.

--Push through it.

--I’ll grind my way.

--Hustle harder.

--Let me get it Friday.

--Another round of margaritas, please…

????Um, may I politely say, this is f@!#$ ridiculous ?? (read that 2x)

*******************

Met w/ an incredible human being recently, who was done--

??Hurtin’ hurtin’.

??Broken.

??Incomplete.

??Family in disarray.

??Financial mess.

??#Veteran

??Kids, it's always the kids ??

And still showed up to work…

On camera.

You’d never know.

We have a diff. relationship so I can be blunt, “My guy, you’re a f@#$ mess. Why are you lying’ to me?!”

I get the repeated, “I’m good.”

(Samuel L. Jackson (??) , please)

I let him (and others) vent when they need and not force it, but it was clearly at his Will Smith breaking moment (that wasn’t snark).

My dude,?

??“You cannot succeed your way out of depression.

??You cannot outwork the hole in your heart.

?? ??You cannot fake your feelings.

There is not enough wine, cigarettes, weed, Netflix, or downtime, to silence your suffering.

My guy, this is why you can’t sleep.

B/c sleep requires peace.??????

I am not a therapist and couldn’t even play one on TV, but you are clearly a wreck.”

He fought me, until…

The long pause…

He replies, “I simply do not know what to do…”

I told him, “you are Clark Kent, not Superman”

You can not ‘fix’ what you’re feeling.

????Acknowledge it.

????Accept it.

????And for the 9th f$#@!’ time, please go see a therapist”

But like not just w/ him, I can tell when someone else is headed to a storm, in a storm, or just getting out of a storm.

???????Just hoping folks have the courage to ask for more than just thoughts & prayers when they’re hurtin’...

Here are a few things I’ve found helpful w/ friends & family in these times:

????Hope you all are taking a mental health PTO when needed.

??Find, schedule, and routinely go to a therapist (social media is not your therapist)

??Adopt a pet, seriously, animals don’t speak english/spanish, they pick up on your energy/mood/vibe

???? ♀?Yoga/Meditate/Exercise.

???? ♂?Take your @ss outside, no phone, no internet.

??????Find a ‘networking’ group of those going through it.

??Music, is a meditation.

??Journal, just release it.

????Give yourself permission to not be perfect -- life is progression, not perfection.

You got this, and I got you ??????

?????????????? ????????????, ?? ??????????????’?? ??????????

And I ??to create the content I wish I had when I was transitioning out of the military