reminisce

It’s a lot.

I had a friend visit last week, and we talked about how overwhelming it feels to be carrying the weight of life today. It’s not easy.

We reminisced about how, as millennials, there was a time when we had limited awareness of everything happening in the world. Maybe to a fault. But that distance also protected us. It kept our anxiety quieter.

Now we have too much access. Too much to take in. Too much to feel.

One moment we’re watching funny mukbang videos and Labubus, and the next we’re witnessing another killing right in front of us. Unfiltered. Raw. Painful.

We’re expected to jump from joy and laughter to fear and shock without pause. To absorb it all. To keep moving.

But how are we supposed to digest this much information? How are we meant to manage such extreme emotional swings?

I don’t think we can. And it shows. Our emotions and nervous systems are completely overwhelmed.

It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it’s hard to even try to be optimistic.

For me, I’ve always felt like I had to stay involved. Like if I stepped back for even a moment, I should feel guilty.

But the truth is, we can acknowledge the reality of the world we’re living in and also choose to pull back when we need to. There is no humane way to process the amount of information we have at our fingertips. There just isn’t.

So when you feel low, when everything feels hopeless, allow yourself to feel it. Feel the pain. Feel the loss. Let the emotions exist.

Because to feel loss is also to make space for renewal.

You are not alone. We are all grieving. We are all hurting.