The Journey of Managing My Highs & Lows

Life never stops, does it?

The world keeps spinning and no matter what you’re feeling, life goes on.

While I find that to be a frustrating part of life, I also find that it’s a beautiful part of life, too.

No matter what hardship life brings, tomorrow is a new day and life continues to cycle along. That is a wonderful thing. But, life is also daunting when you feel like you are standing still through it all.

I’ll say it. I’m overwhelmed.

This year is full of great things: planning a wedding and honeymoon, enjoying an engagement, revamping the blog and podcast. The list goes on and on. I have lots to be grateful for.

The problem is when I am swamped with tasks, lists, and responsibilities, I can very easily get overwhelmed. That’s normal, I know. But, I am not good at accepting that normality and moving forward. I, for whatever reason, like to sit in that slump and let it stew for a bit.

No one really catches wind of that though. Not until it’s unbearably easy to spot.

I can’t tell you how many times I sift through my mind to find thoughts like:

“Just get yourself on a routine!” “You literally could just spend 1 hour on that task and get yourself right back on track.” “Why aren’t you even trying?!”

And you know what it comes down to? No matter how much work I do on myself, I will always be a high-low gal.

You may be asking yourself, “What’s a high-low gal?”

Well, that’s me, folks!

Joking aside, it’s essentially the way that I’ve always navigated life. I have periods of life where I’m so pumped up and ready to take on anything life throws at me. And then, I have the nose dives. The times where I fall back into a slump and can’t even fathom how to dig myself out this time. I didn’t choose this style of life, but it sure chose me.

I’ve gotten to the point of acceptance. This is just the way that I am. And, that’s okay. But, it’s time that I get past the point of acceptance and into a point of awareness and preparedness. I really don’t think I can take more unprepared nose dives. It’s exhausting! It’s debilitating! But! It’s also PREDICTABLE.

I really think that last fact is why I struggle so badly to claw myself back up to the high points of life. I struggle because I can’t stand that I’ve let myself fall back into a low point of life. So, instead of embracing myself for being the way that I am, I attack that version of me. I don’t like showing that side of me. I don’t like to share that side of me. I pretend as if that side of me doesn’t exist.

And that inauthenticity drops me every time. I do not do a good job of managing my highs and lows.

That’s where the journey begins. I’m looking for a way to ground myself through the highs and lows. If I know I’m a high-low gal, there’s got to be a way to manage this part of me in a healthy way.

I’ve done therapy, I’ve done research, and I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know myself. So, where do I even start?!

Well today, I’m starting with some tools I’ve learned through many “come to Jesus” moments. If you are also struggling with emotional highs and lows, I urge you to explore these tools as well:

1. To always remember, there is NOTHING wrong with you. It’s normal to feel the highs and lows of life. Without the lows, we wouldn’t appreciate the highs as much.
   

2. It is okay to not be okay. So often, we feel the need to be perfect in life. We feel like the only person we should show the world is the happy, carefree versions of ourselves. But, releasing those feelings and sharing the truer side of ourselves is incredibly healing in the hardest of times.
   

3. The world keeps spinning and no matter what you’re feeling, life goes on. If you have a great day, life moves to the next day. If you have a terrible day, life moves to the next day all the same. Everything in time will pass. So, do the best you can through every hardship and enjoy the highs as they also pass by.
   

4. Practice Gratitude. Celebrate the wins, no matter how small! Find the things that fill you up and be thankful for them. Doing this helps lift you up and encourages positivity.
   

5. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to be better. The more accountability partners, family, and friends you surround yourself with, the better you will do. Always.

The routines and plans will come, but the journey starts with a small step. That step for me is more than just acceptance, it’s also understanding. I’m on a journey to understanding what it will take to manage my highs and lows. I want to get to a place where I can bounce back and give myself grace when I’m struggling.

And, that’s where I start. Instead of fighting these feelings, I’m working on accepting them as they are. Since they are just feelings, I’m working on finding where they all originate. I think that will help me to prepare for the lows and in turn help me to be more balanced within my emotions.

If you struggle with similar feelings, I urge you to take a look within and join me on the journey of managing your highs and lows, too.

Tomorrow is a new day. Don’t let the feelings of today get you down.

Until Next Time,

Jessie

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