If you’re reading this right now, maybe you’re settling in, hopefully already finished wrapping up work, maybe tucking the babies in, maybe getting ready to head out and see friends again. You may have just woken up, just started breakfast; or, maybe you're still in bed, working through whatever you need to get you through the day or the next five minutes. Wherever you are, pause, breathe deeply and take it all in.

I’ve been having random conversations with some folks in and around my community; and, a lot of what I hear and see is the same—we’re all working really really hard. We’re churning out some really great work, too—we’re all meeting the demands of the world as best as we can with the tools at our disposal. I guess I just want us to be mindful of the rest we need. I want us to remember to not lose ourselves or each other in the work.

We’re all going through it. And when we’re in it, it’s easy to forget how much we need each other. So, if you need support, say it. If you need a mental health day because the day-to-day is just too much, take it. If you just need to step away from your computer and take a walk, or cry, or yell, go for it. And please, let’s talk to each other.

We’re not alone in any of this—this past year and a half I’ve been depressed, anxious, burnt out, and frustrated—some of it work related, some of it life related. But talking through it in therapy, and with the people I love, took a lot of that pressure off of me. So, if you’re willing to, speak to what ails you with folks you trust. It doesn’t have to be tonight, or tomorrow; just try it. When we can communicate our truth, can stand in it, no matter how hard or embarrassing it may feel, we move one step closer to liberation.

Some of the behaviors we’ve adopted, this need to overwork, to over-deliver, are traits we’ve normalized because we’ve “gotta get it done.” A friend of mine at work would sometimes say to me “we’re not curing cancer.” It’s a great reminder to not take ourselves or our work too seriously. This human vessel we’re in—we’re only in for one go round. It’s our job to make the best of it, to live it to its fullest and to honor the privilege we have of doing life with the people we get to do life with in this time and this age. Get it done, but take care of yourself—and take care of each other.

We don’t know how much time we have here on earth. A large part of this existence is us recognizing we’re doing this alone. We’re all processing; we all have seen and felt some level of suffering to a certain extent. The more we can recognze how similar our journeys are to one another, the more we as a community can heal and grow through our trauma as a collective.

We’re all going through it, I promise. But, I think we’ll get through it together, too.