Before I knew it, I was thrust into change again
You’d think I’d be a pro at this by now
But when the things stack up
And the nervous system is fried
Stuck
In
Fight
Flight
Freeze
Stuck
Panic
Dissociation
Confusion
Hopelessness

Going through all the emotions
We go through the grieving process
Even when change is good
Even when we wrote it was a short term stepping stone
The grieving process happens with all change
Allow it

But but but all the things
Don’t you understand right now?
It’s ALLLL the things
Why is it ALLLLL the things

Taking a breath
Coming back into my body
But my body doesn’t feel safe right now
I grab for a snack, that’ll fix it
But it doesnt, the feelings are still there
Just now with added high blood sugar dizziness
None of the distractions work anymore
I just have to go through it, not stuff it down, run away, ignore it, go around… but through

Changing coping strategies when we grow
More change, but we need to
What worked before doesn’t work anymore
Even the people we knew aren’t the people we know

It’s all okay, just breathe
Deep breath ground deep into your body
Feel your arms, really touch them
Feel your legs, pat pat pat
Feel your head, touch your hair
You forgot to keep breathing, deep
Feel your belly expand, no it doesn’t mean you’re fat, it means you’re filling your diaphragm to nourish your body and brain
Feel your belly deflate as you breathe out all the stress and tension, let it all go and breathe out as far as you can go
Feel the air leaving your body, feel it coming back in when you breathe in deep
Feel your feet on the ground, you are connected and safe
It’s okay to be right here in this present moment
Right here, right now, reading these words, breathing deep, this moment you are safe

I needed these words as much as you
Right now, nearly everyone is hurting and facing changes
Or avoiding changes they need to make
Come with me through the fear
We can do this together
We don’t have to succumb to the dark alone
I have a flashlight, follow me

Written from a prompt in a creative writing group I facilitate. You can check it out and request to join us here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/213087289131266/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT