Pushing Through The Storms
Have you ever had to travel the highway through a storm of any kind? No matter the elements involved, it takes a skilled driver to keep the vehicle on the road safely. It can definitely get white-knuckle tense at times especially with heavy rain and gale force winds attempting to knock you off said highway. We are often advised to pull off to the side and ride out the storm; find shelter from some of the most severe threats. We are pretty familiar with those kinds of storms in the Midwest, in fact I experienced one recently. In the experience, guess what I found? Yes, another analogy.
It was a four hour drive to get home. Threatening storms came out of nowhere fast. But we still had to get there. We wouldn’t be able to stop too often, due to other mechanical issues. I started out onto the Interstate when I discovered my driver’s window would not roll up. Oh, boy! The rain hadn’t started and it was only windy at this point, so I pressed on. We stopped once and worried about the darkening skies. I checked the radar and saw that if we could drive another 2 hours, we would be out of the storm. I drove on not knowing about the intensity of the derecho I was about to drive into.
We only made it another hour, before it was too much for me. I couldn’t handle any more wind, rain and road debris tearing at my face and soaking my clothes. We parked at gas station, where I asked for a trash bag. I put the bag over the whole top of my door. And closed it so I could get a break from the rain. The winds ripped the trash bag so hard it was punching me in the left side of my face! I was trying to hold the trash bag down to keep out the rain. The wind would shift and all of the air would push out of the vehicle and into the trash bag going the other direction. Flooding rains. Wicked winds, crashing thunder and a network of lightning passed over us. I was honestly pretty scared, and grateful for that shelter in my vehicle. Three hours later, we were home, and preparing for our own turn at the storm.
I said all of that to say this: storms are going to come that you just have to push through. I’m talking about the storms going on in your head right now: the metaphorical storms that can be equally if not more dangerous as physical ones. What does it take to get through the storms in our minds? Are we even capable of pushing through them?
Mind storms are always imminent and often threaten our very existence. Some of my own storms seemed to be impossible to get through, but I did. You have the capability inside of you, as well. The level of effort to make it through is the part you control. When you can feel a cycle on its way, whether it’s depression, or mania, or something else, it appears like an oncoming storm. Fear sets in, because it is the storm’s driving force. We are afraid we won’t make it through this one. The clouds are dark and ominous, fully of lightning and wind and flooding rain. There is no way around these storms. We cannot ignore them either. The only way to get past these storms is to drive right through them.
I say bring on the rain! Bring on the winds that push us back! Bring on the thunder and the lightning of past failures! The more storms we pass through, the easier it gets. I know that you may not want to hear this, and you may not believe me, but it’s true. You are building your own storm defense skills for the next storm coming, because you know there will be more. Having confidence in your coping skills does not change the appearance of mind storms. They remain dark and scary. However, experience comes from pushing through previous storms, and you have survived them even if you can’t see it.
Sometimes it is safest to shelter ourselves against the storm, and ride out the very worst of the elements, before we push on. There is nothing wrong with curling up in a ball on your bed and crying your heart out. Healing comes in all kinds of forms, even that one. But, we cannot stay sheltered forever. It takes a strong heart to gather up the broken, dripping wet pieces and pushing forward with them. You have driven through your storms before, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this right now. And I, for one, am very proud of you!
Much like the weather, we cannot control when mind storms are coming. They can often happen out of the bluest of skies with the smallest of triggers. Storms will be aggravating, defeating, reminders of failure full of pounding pain. Being honest with yourself stings the soul, but at the same time humbles you. There is no way to sugar-coat the truth. There is no magic formula to make this all go away. Instead, we are compelled to gather our coping skills and keep driving until we make it back to sunshiny skies. Remember, those blue skies are imminent too!
