While I’m out taking a break and healing from surgery, some of my favorite bloggers and bestest of friends have kindly agreed to help out with an LCMF blog series:
This series will hopefully answer some of your most frequently asked questions about “what can I do?” for someone who might be needing your help or support.
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Hi! I’m Amy from Mod Podge Rocks, also known as Mod Podge Amy. As you can see, I like stripes, even when they don’t match. I also like pugs and making funny faces. In addition to all of these things, I like stories of hope.
When I heard that Lara had to get surgery, my heart really cried out for her. I don’t like it when anyone has to go through hard times, especially friends. I have been impressed with the way she’s stayed positive throughout all the “poop.” I have my own story (don’t we all!) and it’s about how my life has just recently started to take a turn for the better after months of being in the dumps. God works in mysterious ways. So here is my story of hope.
About six months ago, my life felt hopeless. This is me in September. You can’t tell from this picture, can you? Yes, I was anxiety ridden and at an all-time low. That smile is fake. What had happened to get me there?
Well, a variety of things. One of the biggest was that I had left a decent job in April of 2011 for a job that *really* sucked. I had thought it was going to be a better opportunity, but not so much. It turned out to be a sexist, borderline abusive work environment – and I thought, “what have I done?”
I was working full time from 9 – 6, writing a blog AND it was during this time that I wrote my book. I totally burned myself out mentally, physically, spiritually and in every way possible. I fell into a bit of a depression and had to take some medication, which bloated me (eww) and made me feel even worse. Nice, huh?
I spent a lot of time in my apartment, not really coming out that much and not really socializing. It felt like an effort to do anything but blog – interacting was just too hard. I couldn’t even handle phone calls. Then in December I hit a low, and made a decision.
I decided to move back to Seattle, my hometown.
I thought it would make things “better.” No – I thought it would fix everything. That’s a better way to say it. So on January 12th, I quit my job and decided to go back to Seattle and live with my parents until I could establish a new life on my own. I never felt 100% right about the moving situation, but it was balanced by my elation for quitting my job. And then I moved.
I’ll try to sum up the bad news by saying that on the day I arrived I fell into an even greater depression, and knew that I had made a mistake. I had only lived in Seattle for three months. And I knew there was only one thing I could do – move back to Atlanta. So about three weeks ago, I did.
Where is the hope in all this, you ask?
Well, guess what. I realize something now that I didn’t know then – through all of it. I didn’t know that God was taking care of me and watching out for me. I didn’t know that living in Seattle with my parents would actually enable me to un-burn myself out and embrace having time again. I didn’t know that I would be able to focus on my own business and build it up enough in three months to to be able to live and do this full time.
And the good news, the hope, is that I’m happier now. I’m happier than I have been in over a year. I’m slowly but surely pulling myself out of those dumps and embracing my life. Sometimes I’ve allowed myself to be a victim – of myself. That sounds silly, but I have blamed the universe for things that have happened to me, when guess what: it was the choices I made that got me there.
So, I’m not necessarily out of the woods yet, but I have great hope. I didn’t have that before. 2012 is the year of figuring out what I’m doing and getting my act together. It’s about growing my business. It’s about becoming confident in my personal life. AND it’s about not overworking.
Do you need hope? Let me know. I would love to hear your story.
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<em>Thank you Amy!!. I kind of think we all need to remember to serve ourselves. By being the very BEST you….you are able to share that person with others. And I LOVE the thought of listening to your inner self. It will tell you what to do. For yourself…..and other people.
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<em>Please visit Amy at her amazing blog:<a href=”http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/” target=”_blank”>Mod Podge Rocks</a>. (I mean….for real? That blog name alone should make you jump for joy. It’s like, one of the truths of the universe. Mod Podge, does…in fact….ROCK! And Amy does too.)</em>
Thanks for sharing!! It has been a pretty down in the dumps year for me and my husband too! I keep making the mistake at the beginning of each year of saying, “This coming year can’t possibly be any worse than this year we just ended….” and guess what each year seems to get a little worse…. it is all financial and job stuff. Thank god we have our health and our kids health! I hang on to that positive light with a death grip…. it keeps me sane! I just started blogging and it makes me super happy! It is my little light at the end of a dark financial tunnel. I am trying to trust in God a little more and keep telling myself “It all happens for a reason. What can I learn from this?” You sound like a really brave person to me to be able to move to Seattle and back again! I’ve actually done that once in my life too! I moved to Seattle and 10 months later moved back to Dallas!!
Amy, I’m so happy things are turning around for you. Life is hard sometimes. My husband and I went through a lot in the past few years, which included an unexpected grandson (the love of our life), a severely depressed daughter (grandson’s mom), the loss of my husband’s job after 24 years with the company, and almost losing everything. Through it all I had the BEST friends who told me that everything happens for a reason, and things happen when they are meant to. I’m so thankful I let them in, and I listened until I believed it. Now my husband is working at a great job again, I’m getting a better job, our grandson is awesome, and our daughter is getting better. I want to always encourage people like my friends encouraged me to hold on, even when it looks like there is no hope. There is always hope. There has to be, because sometimes that’s all there is. Hugs to Amy and Lara!
I just love Amy! It was so fun to finally meet and hug her at Snap, and I am so glad things are turning around for her- she deserves the best!!!