Cry it out

With babies and sleep regression, people talk about it all the time. Just let them cry it out for a while and eventually they will calm themselves. Sometimes it takes a few minutes. Sometimes it takes a few hours. And sometimes it might take days for that sweet baby to learn to self comfort and feel safe. I’ve been beginning to notice that the same thing can apply to us, as adults.

I’ve had more cry it out moments lately then I care to admit. And no, I’m not referring to my children. We are all carrying an unimaginable weight around on our shoulders right now on top of our own everyday normal stuff. It’s a lot! The pressure builds and builds, eventually becomes too much and the next thing I know I’m crying in Ali’s kitchen in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday. Thank God for best friends, right?

I tend to internalize my feelings sometimes, letting them pile up inside. It’s not healthy, and I know it. As moms it’s our responsibility to hold it together for everyone….memorize everyone’s schedules, how they like their pancakes, remember to pack everyone’s water bottles when we leave the house, snacks (don’t get me started on snacks), be a good spouse,  but most importantly our kids expect us to have all the answers for them. It’s exhausting! Especially in a pandemic world where I actually don’t have any of the answers at all and I don’t know if everything will be alright. And really all I want is for someone to actually tell me for once, that everything truly will be fine. That’s where the cry it out method enters. There’s no shame! Allow yourself to feel it, express it and hopefully move on and grow from it. My point here is….It’s OK to not be OK sometimes. It’s OK to set the strong, never phased, acts like she can handle it all facade to the side and cry it out. It doesn’t make the fears, insecurities, or the stress necessarily go away for good but it certainly does in that moment.

We’re not here to only share the good stuff, Need Want Wear Share is here to share the REAL stuff. So here I am, the internalizer - actually externalizing and sharing my feelings. Lean on the people that trust, love and believe in you. A shoulder is always there!