Think Positive Always

When Life Feels Heavy: How to Keep Going

When life feels overwhelming, even small steps can feel hard. This gentle article offers comfort, perspective, and simple reminders to help you keep going one day at a time.

# When Life Feels Too Much to Bear: How to Find a Way Forward

As humans, we experience many different types of seasons in our lives. While some seasons are light, others are heavy. Those heavy seasons can be caused by a variety of factors, such as loss, disappointment, change, stress, loneliness, physical or mental illness, or emotional exhaustion. Sometimes those heavy seasons hit us unexpectedly. We might be sipping coffee or scrolling on our phones during a completely normal day, and suddenly we feel that ache in our chest, that fatigue in our hearts, that weight that's hard to put into words.

When **life** feels heavy, everyday tasks become harder. Waking up can feel like getting dressed for a long run. Smiles can feel contrived. Answering emails, or even simply relaxing, can feel draining. In fact, even relaxation, as enjoyable as that sounds, can't always provide peace when your mind continues to weigh heavily on the world around you.

If you've experienced any of these feelings recently, well, this post is for you. This isn't intended to rush your healing process, or to force a smile on your face, or to pretend everything is fine. This post is simply to remind you that if **life** currently feels too much to bear, you're not crazy, weak, broken, or weird. You're human. And sometimes being human means carrying more than you ever imagined possible.

Many of us are quietly carrying burdens that we may not openly discuss with friends and family. These can include grief, fear, financial pressures, relational pain, fears for family members' safety or well-being, dreams that didn't materialize as expected, confusing seasons, and the pressure to continue appearing "strong" despite feeling drained.

Yet even though **life** feels heavy, there is still a path forward.

Whether it’s a quick path, or whether it’s a clearly defined path, there is still a path forward.


## Pain Can Be Felt, Not Hidden

Too many people attempt to move past their pain. Many people rush through their emotions. Others find distractions. Many choose busyness as a coping mechanism. Some tell themselves to "stay strong," and many people bury their pain, hoping it goes away. However, buried pain doesn’t always remain underground forever. At some point, the buried pain resurfaces in your **life**, often greater than before it was initially suppressed.

Therefore, the most loving thing you can do for yourself is acknowledge that you aren’t fine, regardless of whether you’re willing to share your true feelings with others or not.

If you are sad, allow yourself to be sad. If you are grieving, allow yourself to grieve. If you are frustrated, disappointed, confused, lonesome, or emotionally exhausted, let those feelings be true. You don’t have to present your pain neatly and orderly before acknowledging it exists.

Being honest and stating, *“This is hard for me,”* takes great courage.

**Tears are courageous. Silence is courageous. Honesty is courageous.**

Acknowledging that something has affected you physically, mentally, or emotionally does not equate to failure. It means something was significant enough to affect you, that you are alive enough to feel deeply, and that shouldn’t be something to be embarrassed about.

Most times, the first step in moving forward is to give yourself permission to quit resisting how you truly feel.

## Accept Where You Are Right Now

Acceptance seems like surrender, and it is not the same thing.

Surrender implies that nothing will ever change.

Acceptance states that **this is where I am right now, and I’ll meet myself here.**