3 Things I Do When My World Feels Heavy
- Krissy
- Sep 30, 2023
- 3 min read
I wrote this around a month ago when life felt so heavy. The heaviness I was experiencing isn’t gone, but it feels lighter now. Largely because I had to remind myself to do these three things. You’ve likely heard them before, as they are nothing new. I’m sharing as an encouraging reminder to not just those reading, but to myself.
Lately, I’m at a loss of words when someone asks me how I’m doing. I simply haven’t formulated how to accurately express my heart. When I try, it seems to come out all wrong. I’m really okay. I’ve finally found that the word, heavy, seems to best depict most of what I’m feeling. I know many around me can relate.
We recently experienced a hurricane where we live. Our family was fortunate to have no damage to our home but the destruction around us can feel like a lot to process at times. Alongside this, our hearts are aching for several family members who are experiencing emotional and physical pain. Sprinkle in other small things in life and it can all just feel heavy. Let me be clear, I can and do acknowledge that I am incredibly blessed in life. I can take joy in life and still feel the hefty weights the world gives. I can’t control certain hardships, but I can control what I do while I process them.
Here are 3 things I’ve learned to do when my world feels heavy:
Sit with the heaviness. I’ve learned that the sooner I allow myself to sit with and feel the heaviness, the easier it is to process my emotions. It’s like sitting with a person that I maybe don’t recognize. The longer I sit with them, the more I acknowledge their presence, recognize them, and become acquaintances with them. The more I quietly sit with my heaviness, I can more easily acknowledge, recognize, and feel the heavy. It’s easy to run from emotions, but not nearly as rewarding as it is to sit with them and become friends.
Don’t sit alone. I am fortunate that I get to sit with not only friends but also the Lord. My faulty brain cannot begin to understand the Lord’s strength and power. Because of this, I often forget that he is able to handle anything and everything all at once. He carried and overcame the weight of the cross. Thus, there is no weight which I carry that is heavier than the cross he’s already defeated. Friend, share the heaviness with Him and allow Him to bear the weight for you.
Serve others. This might not look the same for you as it does for me and that’s okay. Having an attitude of service helps me keep my eyes on Jesus. Serving others reminds me of my purpose. Sometimes it looks like serving people in my community and sometimes it is serving only my husband and kids. Regardless of who it is, it’s the mindset of service that really helps me.
Since writing this, we’ve slowly gotten back into some routines and the activities we are involved in have started back for the year. It’s been so good for us! We’ve had some of the best moments with our kids and friends over the last few weeks. It’s reminded me of the importance of slowing down and enjoying community! Check out the post on community if you missed it!