In the midst of life’s most stressful moments, I feel like a Stretch Armstrong doll. Do y’all remember those? They’d just continue to stretch in every direction, until eventually, the gel in the middle would start to spill out.
Though typically more figurative than physical for us humans, we’ve all felt those pulls. They vary for each person and they manifest themselves in different ways – as work, play, chores, fitness, indulgence, health, rest, passion, family, friends, entertainment, faith, hobbies, social media, acceptance, success, feeling content, striving for more…And eventually, the gel, which in my case, typically shows up looking more like tears, pours out.
It doesn’t pour out expectantly. Rather, it happens in one of two ways: either catastrophically, one swift yank that creates a quick and explosive rip, or gradually, becoming worn down with time, and ultimately reaching a point of slowly becoming undone.
Once it happens, the truth is out. There’s no avoiding, concealing, or denying to do. And in ways, that’s the most refreshing feeling in the world. Because at a certain point in time, trying to keep all your shit together is just plain exhausting. Not to mention, acknowledging that something is off track is the first step in getting on track again.
Breakdowns -both small and big- aren’t inherently bad. In fact, there are often benefits (aside from the obvious: Ben & Jerry’s, naps, and Netflix marathons) that accompany them.
They create connection. When I struggle with things silently and try to work through my experiences alone, I in turn feel isolated. By letting my guard down and speaking openly either with God or with other people, I feel a resounding ‘me too’. So, I don’t always feel confident or put together, and experience has taught me that you probably don’t always feel confident or put together either. Cheers to being human.
They prompt reflection. You know that Bill Engvall expression, “here’s your sign?” Well, that’s exactly what a breakdown is. It’s a sign that something has to change. And often times that something is either perspective or priorities.
They bring you to the now. One of my favorite Baptiste yoga sayings is, “you are either now here or nowhere.” In any given meltdown moment, I know I have arrived. And at a certain point, dealing with my issues becomes a lot less exhausting than avoiding them.
They redirect you. To borrow a line from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, “you’re going the wrong way” and a breakdown can be used as a reroute. Going the wrong way doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong. It may just mean that in the midst of all the details, you may have lost sight of the big picture.
Reader Question-What are your go-to ways of dealing with stress?
Baking in Yoga Pants 
We’ll put. My ways are yoga, walking in nature, sitting by the water, and crying.
There is beauty in the breakdown, as it was once said. Catharsis, breakdown, that forced pause and expulsion of bad energy and then reflection…. when we are unbalanced, we need to throw our weight to the other side to start to get back to the mid line.