Holy Shit...I Can't Breathe!

Has anyone else ever experienced this feeling?

Every avenue of life seems to be happening all at once...yet again it feels like you just aren't moving. It almost feels....numb.

...but then again, it just feels like all too much.

It's hard to breathe....you can't get ahead...you aren't doing enough.

....You just don't have the time...you don't have the energy...there are so many other things that need to be done, how can you possibly focus on even attempting to get ahead when you can barely even keep your head above water?

Trapped.

Overwhelmed.

On the verge of shutting down.

Geez. Even as I type this I can feel and remember each and every moment that I've encountered like this...that I STILL encounter from time to time.

I was just talking with a dear friend of mine about a week ago and the theory that got brought up, which I always preach on, is the breathing mask on an airplane.

For so long, I struggled in understanding why in the actual effff I would choose to put the breathing mask on myself first before the person next to me in the event of crisis mode.

-I mean...this particular person or people mean so much to me. I would MUCH rather save them before I saved myself!

I'm sure many of you can relate to this...especially if you have kids.

Assist them and then you will take care of you. Sounds so heroic doesn't it? We know how to handle ourselves in a situation so let's help someone else first and then you can quickly protect and save yourself, right?

WRONG!

- It took me a while before I finally realized why this just didn't make any sense.

How in the world can we help someone else if we aren't even willing to help ourselves? If we are struggling, how in the actual hell do we think we can sustain the energy to save them from what the world is throwing at them? How are we even capable of providing for them when we aren't even providing for ourselves?

A similar concept that is always discussed is that you can't pour from an empty cup. I do also believe this sums it up the same way.

Many of us don't know how or are too prideful to ask for help. It is easier to fix someone else's problem than fix our own. The reality though is that the more we continue to live in this state, the harder and harder it is to breathe.

We start to just...survive.

We begin to feel trapped and feel that there just isn't a way out....

We either burn out tremendously, snap, hit an extreme rock bottom, or we end up allowing ourselves to function in the mess and start to accept that this is "normal."

We are creatures of habit and we adapt to our environment. It is the most basic form of survival....but just surviving isn't any way to live.

We MUST make it a point to take care of ourselves. We MUST make it a point to work on ourselves.

So many of us are drained from "work" and worrying about everything else. We make excuses why we just can't and don't have the energy to put the work into ourselves.

Some don't even think it is a necessity to work on themselves at all, but the majority from what I've worked with, don't even recognize that it should be a priority.

Did you ever think that maybe the reason that job is so miserable, has nothing to do with the job itself? Have you ever thought that maybe the reason you don't have energy is because you haven't properly invested that energy?

It is starting to become more and more of a "trend" to personally develop ourselves and to focus on "self care."

Let me share something with you though....this self care doesn't always mean that you go get pedicures, a massage, and take a vacation to some magical place. Sometimes it doesn't mean drawing yourself a bubble bath and a glass of wine or binging on some Netflix series.

In all honesty, sometimes and I know for me, that isn't fulfilling.

To draw myself a bubble bath? The water gets cold super quickly and the bubbles don't stick around. Plus, drinking a glass of wine while practically lying down is insanely hard!

Sometimes, that massage or pedicure just doesn't feel as good as you had expected it to...or sometimes that vacation away ends up being more exhausting than if you would have just stayed at home.

Now I'm not here to be a Negative Nelly nor am I saying that you shouldn't partake in these types of activities. I'm just here to share with you another perspective.

What if there was a way to feel more fulfilled and find different ways to fuel your body that doesn't require you to wait for an extreme moment to FINALLY treat yourself to some self care.

When was the last time you learned about something new? When was the last time you tried something you have never tried before? When was the last time you fully engaged into your surroundings? When is the last time you put the oxygen mask on and took care of yourself first?

Take a moment to digest this.

"Work" on ourselves shouldn't be treated like a job.

This is how we grow. This is how we learn. This is how we seek purpose. This is how we can gain more knowledge and confidence. THIS is how we can fuel our tanks. THIS is how we can truly become better.

Let's start breathing, ladies and gents!

Not sure where to start?

Click the link below or shoot me a message to speak with me on how this can be you! Let me help YOU become a better version of you! You deserve to live a life that doesn't just consist of SURVIVING!

https://www.jaymeshiarlacoaching.com/services

With Love and Gratitude,

Coach Jayme