ç'est la vie RN

Tag: mental-health

  • When Life Yo-Yo’s, Fix Your Eyes

    When Life Yo-Yo’s, Fix Your Eyes

    I recently read a blog post called “Yo-Yoing” by Phyllis Kritek. I felt her quietly narrating my own life. She described the back-and-forth rhythm of trying to stay consistent, only to be pulled away by everything life keeps throwing in your direction. The tension between intention and reality…I feel it deeply.

    Because if I’m honest, life has been lifing.

    From grieving the loss of my great aunt around Thanksgiving to celebrating the birth of my newest great-nephew, my heart has been stretched in various directions; grieving and rejoicing, slowing down and showing up. And somewhere in between all of that, the things I want to do (like writing, reflecting, being consistent) feel harder to hold onto.

    The blog put language to something I hadn’t fully admitted: sometimes it’s not a lack of discipline, it’s the weight of life transitions. There’s this subtle guilt that creeps in when you’re not producing or keeping up with your own expectations. But what if the pause isn’t failure? What if it’s simply evidence that you’re human, walking through real moments that matter?

    Still, I’ve realized something in this season: while life may feel like a yo-yo…up and down, forward and back…my focus doesn’t have to be.

    Scripture reminds us we should be continuously “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

    Not fix our eyes on our productivity.
    Not fix our eyes on our consistency.
    Not even fix our eyes on how well we’re “handling” life.

    Fix them on Jesus.

    Because He is steady when everything else isn’t.

    I may not have written as much as I planned.
    I may not have shown up in all the ways I intended.

    But I’ve been present for the moments that mattered.
    I’ve loved my family.
    I’ve felt the weight of loss and the joy of new life.

    And maybe, just maybe, that counts more than perfect consistency.

    So, if you’re in a season where your rhythm feels off, where your goals keep getting interrupted, where life keeps “yo-yoing” you in unexpected directions… you’re not alone.

    Give yourself grace.

    And then gently, intentionally, lift your eyes again.

    Because even when life is inconsistent—
    He never is.

  • Stage 7

    Stage 7

    Generativity vs Stagnation

    Lots of movement in a number of things this week. Also a reflection on why certain things are the focus at this particular time in my life. I remembered from nursing school that we talked about Erik Erickson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Stage 7 occurs during middle adulthood, ages 40-65. In this stage, an individual’s focus is centered on guiding the next generation life through career, family, and societal contributions. This includes activities such as parenting, mentoring, and community involvement. Successfully achieving generativity leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment, while failing to do so results in stagnation, characterized by feelings of unproductiveness, disconnection, and a lack of personal growth. This stage is crucial for maintaining a sense of purpose and continuity in one’s life.

    Yep, that sounds about right. I have seen so many adults on social media recently share their discontent for their job search experiences for all of the reasons I’ve posted before, and more. It is taking people (most with education and experience) 6 months to a year to secure employment. According to the stage 7 definition above, it is clear how this can affect someone’s psychosocial development. In 4 days, I will have been 6 months unemployed. Praise the Lord for being Jehovah Jireh during this time by giving me provision and ensuring all of my needs are met! I still pray that he covers those in similar circumstance. It is so easy to find ourselves making decisions out of desperation or what we feel is most important in our lives.

    As this journey continues, my prayer remains to secure a position where my skills shine in a way that I can only give glory to the Creator and in an environment where I do not have to compromise my identity to function and maintain my well-being. I hope that whichever stage of life you are in, and wherever you are in your journey, you do not allow the enemy space to show up and perpetuate schemes that dictate over your mindset or relationships.

    “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” – James 4:7 NIV