Do they have to alter our path?
Recently, my brother and his friends climbed one of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado named Mt. Humboldt. They began their ascent early in the morning and began the steep climb. They had no idea what they were in for. At about mid-morning they heard this sound of pebbles falling and looked up to see boulders careening down the mountainside toward them. My brother said, “there were some that were even two-stories high.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds downright frightening.
The Outcome
During the event, he rolled both of his ankles. He referred to it as excruciatingly painful. Following the land mass taking a tumble, two of my brothers’ friends decided not to go on, in fear that the hike would continue to challenge them past their limits. My brother and his other friend decided to press on. Knowing that an opportunity to climb a fourteener doesn’t happen every day. My brother said a silent prayer and continued to press on through this arduous climb.
It’s these types of challenges that can either make or break us, so to speak. Sometimes, often it’s the unexpected that can make us think twice of is this goal that I’m pursuing really worth it. At times it really is and at other times, it’s better to retreat and try again only to find a different path.
My Experience
I had one such experience this past year. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression for a while now. I call it the battle with the black hole. At times I seem to have a pretty good handle on it and at other times it seems to have a handle on me. This past fall it seemed as if everything came crashing down all at once, a metaphorical rockslide occurring in my life. I thought I was on the path to progression. With a good job as a Psych Tech working in a behavioral health unit at a hospital and finishing up my addictionology certificate to be a Licensed Addictions Professional (Substance Abuse Counselor), I presumed I was on the right track. Some days were super challenging, but it was worth it, or so I thought…
The beginning of my Fibromyalgia journey
Earlier last year though, I started developing some distressing symptoms. It was first just my left leg that would go numb when I would go running, then it began to progress upward throughout my body until midway in the year my whole left side was numb. I was really concerned. I found out from a neurologist I have Fibromyalgia.
This to me was the beginning of my mental health rockslide. You know when the pebbles just start to slide down the rocky side a few at a time. I decided to press forward with my plans of doing an internship for my addictionology program. Yet about midway through the 16-week program, my anxiety caused by the concerns of: my health, unresolved trauma from my past, and the fatigue of working almost 50-hour weeks left me depleted of all energy. I wasn’t producing. The dream internship was slipping between my fingers. My mental health, started to tank. I felt so low, worthless and this rockslide brought me to the bottom. The mountain that I had climbed for a few years now was crumbling right before me.
Developing a support system
There I was, in the pit of despair and I stayed there for quite some time. At times I didn’t want to get out. It was easier to stay in this dark abyss of mine, than to try again. Yet, I had support from therapists, my wife and my Savior, Jesus Christ. Slowly, but surely, they helped me to begin the climb again and help to make my way out of the pit and look at another mountain to climb.
Having a support system is so important in this climb of life. My brother and his friend had each other to keep climbing and I have my support system to help me to get back up again and either climb up over this rock or find a different path altogether.
Photo courtesy: San Miguel Sheriff’s Office. A boulder the size of a house was part of a rockslide that destroyed a Colorado highway. (KKTV)
By Lindsey Grewe
Published: May. 25, 2019 at 11:27 AM MDT
Copyright © 2021 Steven Summerhays
#rockslides #choices #yourhealth #developyoursupportsystem