Getting through overwhelming life changes

In the past 2 episodes of Making A Difference Radio, we discussed situations in which we found our lives to be so overwhelming that we wanted to give up, and how we got through it anyway. Our special guest for both episodes was Jim, who shared with us how his life turned upside down with a sudden medical diagnosis that was a life or death situation.

Jim detailed how he went through several stages throughout the ordeal, including:

• initial shock and feeling alone
• wallowing / "why me"?
• taking the steps he needed to take, but not seeing the bright side (that he is still alive)
• finally realizing that life was a gift, even though how he lives has been changed forever

Jim still has his bad days, but he cherishes the good days even more.

In discussing with the cast and our guest, I, too, detailed a period of time where my husband and I went through a whole lot in the span of a few months, including:

• two big life moves
• several losses, including a death in the family and a miscarriage
• major injuries from a fall downstairs, followed by undiagnosed Lyme's Disease (it took several months to get a diagnosis, by which point I was very, very far gone.)

How my husband and I got through it was through a combination of being supportive of each other, doing our research so we didn't feel helpless during all the medical confusion, and still living our lives anyway (going to the movies, or for a walk, whatever we could do to feel normal).

By the end of the most recent episode, we hit on a really good point, I think: sometimes, even if you don't want to, you have to dig deep. YOU can take back YOUR power in a situation, and do what you have to do to not feel helpless in it anymore. Every step you take counts.

Finally, know you're not alone, so reaching out to trusted people for help or companionship can help. Even something as simple as going for a walk with a friend and getting away from it for a few minutes can help stop the "overwhelm."

If you'd like to explore this topic in more detail than this summary provides, you can find the episodes here (this subject is a two-parter):
Ep. 19 Oh Hell, I Give Up!
Ep. 20 Finding the Answer! 

Don't give up. Situations may seem overwhelming at first, but there is a way to deal with them eventually once the shock wears off.

PS: I always find this song to be inspiring in difficult times. What gets you through? Feel free to comment below.

Making A Difference Radio

For those of you who don't know, I am one of the co-hosts for a weekly streaming radio show called Making A Difference Radio ("MADR"). It is a round-table discussion with the cast, and features a different topic each week. During our episodes, we open phone lines to guests to call in and talk with us if they'd like, as well.

The goal of the show is to shine light on some of life's challenges and discuss how we deal with them, to redirect our energies into better paths, and to find our true selves again. It was started by my friend Eddie Simmers, and he put together the team as it is today, with Chris Labant, Michael Terio, Lana Jarvie, and finally, yours truly.

Over the past few months we have discussed some pretty interesting topics, including how to deal with family relationships, how to set healthy boundaries, and a whole host of other things. Despite the potential heaviness of some of the subjects, though, we have a heck of a lot of fun together!

Tonight, we will be discussing what it means to feel overwhelmed, and each of us will talk about how we deal with that emotion. Tune in at 8pm Eastern time tonight by clicking on this link.

I hope you can join us!  And don't worry: if you can't catch us live, you can click on the same link above to listen to the archive at any time after broadcast. Also, please consider heading over to MADR's Facebook page and giving us a "like" so you'll always be updated on new episodes.

See you there!

PS - my husband just knocked together a makeshift studio for me in our storage/workroom. Eventually, we'll scale it, but I am grateful for his help in getting this far with the setup. He decided to capture the moment here to share with you all.