Tag: #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Overwhelm #FeelingInvisible #EmotionalIsolation #WalkingOnEggshells #UnmetExpectations #Relationships #WineandFaith #NadiaCrane #thepaiseleyfrog #LifeJourney

A Reflection Series for Mental Health Awareness Month

The Weight of Holding It All Together

Excerpt from Wine & Faith – 19 Days in Napa

Jill is lying in bed, reflecting on the support and encouragement she’s received from her friends.

I roll over, and my thoughts shift to Sandy, Amelia, Carla, and Suni. My friends. My support network.

I’m so grateful for Amelia and Sandy. They’ve listened with such compassion. Still, I feel guilty… Our conversations have been so lopsided. I’m doing all the talking—about my struggling marriage. They’re doing all the listening.

But it’s making a difference. Little by little, I’m starting to make sense of things.

I’m like a glass full of water. No more capacity. Not one more drop. I can barely keep myself together.

But I have faith. Faith that by talking more about this, I’ll find clarity. God, help me be patient.

Finally, I drift off to sleep.

Faith Reflection

Have you ever felt like you’re barely keeping it all together?

Throughout life, there are times when the illusion of being “put together” prevails. There’s often a silent expectation to wear a mask and manage it all with grace. An impossible task for anyone.

Jill’s reflection reminds us that it’s often not one huge burden but many small ones. And they can overfill our emotional cups. It’s the mental checklist. The laundry. The lunches. The forced smile you plaster on your face.

Then, there is guilt.

It creeps in.

The guilt of being the one always talking. The guilt of not asking about someone else’s day. The guilt of surviving but not thriving. It is that gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

In Wine and Faith, Jill learns you don’t need to wear a mask among friends. They love you for who you are and meet you there, where ever that is.

She discovers that real friends are there for you through thick and thin. Even if the relationship feels unbalanced. She pours out her soul – and realizes that’s okay.

Your friends see you. God sees you. And that is enough.

Haiku

Steady as a stone,
Friends anchor us in life’s storms,
Shielding us from harm.

Reflective Questions

What areas of your life feel emotionally maxed out?

Where are you pouring out more than you’re being filled?

What might it look like to receive support without guilt?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Please comment and “like” this post if you feel led to do so.

#MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Overwhelm #FeelingInvisible #EmotionalIsolation #WalkingOnEggshells #UnmetExpectations #Relationships #WineandFaith #NadiaCrane #thepaiseleyfrog #LifeJourney

A Reflection Series for Stress Awareness Month

The Stress of Unmet Expectations

Excerpt from Wine & Faith – 19 Days in Napa

Jill is reading a journal entry she had written in the early stages of her pregnancy. She is reflecting on feeling ignored by her husband, Derek.

Dear God,

Why is Derek appalled by my big tummy?

Growing a human within is a sacred experience. Yet, I feel as though I have the plague. I never imagined this! I expected more compassion, respect, touching – caressing, and kissing. Being pregnant doesn’t mean I have lost my physical urges. If anything, they have intensified. Maybe I’m trying too hard or expecting too much. What if my “condition” turns off Derek? All I know is it makes me so sad.

Please help me to understand why Derek is this way. Guide me, Oh, Lord. Fill my heart with more love and patience. Thank you for the miracle of life.

Amen

Faith Reflection

Have you ever expected someone to show up with compassion only to be met by distance instead? Like they checked out?

Unmet expectations—especially from those we love—can cut deep. You thought you’d be celebrated and cherished. But instead, you find yourself grieving an intimacy that is no longer there.

We start to ask questions:
What is wrong with me?
What did I do?

We second-guess our needs. We blame our emotions. We wonder why our partner is not talking to us. Or even trying to understand us?

The pain of unmet expectations is real. It doesn’t mean we are too needy. It’s a sign that we are human.

Jill’s broken heart is subtle yet profound. It cuts us at our core. The longing to be seen and touched. Especially during one of the most vulnerable times of a woman’s life. But Derek’s silence speaks louder than words.

Jill doesn’t scream or sob. She writes. It is there, in the journal, that she begins to face the truth that she is alone in her marriage. Something she never imagined.

God sees this disappointment.

You see me. — Genesis 16:13 (Hagar’s words to God)

Even when others do not respond to your needs, God does. His presence meets you in the quiet.

Disappointment is a form of grief.

Name it.
Hold space for it.
And trust that God holds space for you, too.

Haiku

A kiss, an embrace,
Our heart yearns for connection,
In untouched spaces.

Reflective Questions

Where do you feel emotionally disconnected?

And how might you begin naming that, even gently?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Please comment and “like” this post if you feel led to do so.

#MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Overwhelm #FeelingInvisible #EmotionalIsolation #WalkingOnEggshells #UnmetExpectations #Relationships #WineandFaith #NadiaCrane #thepaiseleyfrog #LifeJourney