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Rubble Rumbles: How do you cope with overwhelm?

by Stacey Marriott Night Light Café Manager

This week I woke one morning to find myself crushed and depleted beneath a mounting heap of overwhelm. I could hear the screech of brakes and the tumble of rubble as the tipper trucks approached and let down their load.

The chinks of sunlight piercing through the chunks of hardcore reminded me I had been in this place before. How to get out? I asked myself, remembering my trusty toolbox that equips me to unpick and unpack, to climb, to hand back. To call out for help, to reach out a hand, so that those who are looking out for me can hear my plea and grasp that hand and pull me from the pile and help me find my feet again.

I have some excellent spotters on this building site of life. They hear the rumbles of the rubble trucks and are quick to seek me out and save me, educating me with sound health and safety guidelines to prevent the crush from happening again.

Several months ago I was struck on the head by a sharp boulder of responsibility and stood overwhelmed and sobbing in the crush hall before church. A dear man approached me with concern in his eyes, love in his hug and a surprising grin upon his lips. “Well this is good!” He exclaimed. “Your emotions are working. You are functioning well.”

Not the words I was expecting to hear but there was truth in them and they have become one of the sharpest tools in my kit. Emotions should not be hidden, nor be a cause of shame. Tears are not a sign of weakness, but rather an indicator of the good and bad in our lives, highlighting what needs to be addressed and expressed. Now I’m trying to get better at listening to my emotions and identifying how I should act on what they are telling me.

Back on the building site, I’m getting ready to go home. Those who heard my cries have dusted me off and promised to work more closely when the rubble trucks call by. The boulders that are not my responsibility have been redelivered to their rightful owners and those that are my responsibility have been neatly stacked to deal with another day.

If you are struggling with overwhelm and would like to talk to someone, we would love to welcome you in any of our Night Light Cafes. Find us on social media  https://www.facebook.com/nightlightcafelincoln email nightlight@actstrust.org.uk or call 0300 011 1200 for more information.