I had to do something really uncomfortable the other day. I had to sit down with someone I really cared about, look them in the eye, and tell them, "Hey. You've really gotta cut the bullsh*t and get it together." I knew this person was avoiding the conversation, and I knew they didn't really want to hear it, but it had to be said.
That person on the receiving end of this reality check was me.
Though I've maintained a steely exterior, fault lines have been forming below the surface for some time now. I'm always reminded that diamonds form under pressure, but I'm quick to note that things crumble under it too. I always err on the side of being sparkly, beautiful, and conflict-free, but I finally had to admit that if the products of pressure were laid out like a fork in the road, things were actually heading down a dire path.
I'm a true Taurus in that change is very difficult for me. Becoming a mom, physical fluctuations, moving and becoming a homeowner, leaving my 9-5, having more time for passions, having some passions lose their lustre and turn into burdens - things have changed so much that sometimes I look in the mirror and have a hard time recognizing myself. Being a chronic overachiever, self-critic, and overthinker do nothing to help with my identity shift, either.
I see now that there are things I've done, things I've agreed to, more for the purpose of proving I could do them than actually wanting to do them. I've tried to hold on to parts of life that were familiar, and I've tried to mold something magnificent with these new compartments - but the way I feel much of the time shows me that I've gone about it all wrong. In all honesty, I don't think I've done a good job of internally dealing with all these changes, and I've been using external things to pretend like I have.
How common is it to hop, skip, and jump over things that need to be addressed by just layering something else on top of it? Sometimes retail therapy is my chosen cloak of oblivion. Sometimes I get very vain and focus wholly on the external - feeling "together" if the outside is shiny, painted, and pretty. Other times - like now - I get high on achievement and doing things. Doing things keeps my mind busy. Gives me something goal-oriented to focus on. Lets me know people still value me when they ask me to be somewhere/do something. Achievement and accomplishment get a bit addictive, especially when someone even slightly insinuates that there's something I can't do. So instead of taking a break, checking in with myself, and giving myself time to adjust to everything swirling around me, I've been pushing through, masking my insecurities and poor adjustment skills with doing more and more.
I sat down with myself the other day and said, "Self, this cannot continue." I had heard it from those near and dear to me, but didn't take it to heart until I said it to myself. It's time to assess why I do the things I do, what I may be missing in the constant noise, and how I'm going to proceed. I've only gotten as far as that conversation with myself and this blog post, so I have some work to do.
Sometimes the hardest conversations are the ones we have with ourselves. I believe that they're also the most transformative ones, so here's to being real, being honest, and coming out as a more balanced and well-adjusted person on the other side.