…But please don’t break me off a piece of your Kit-Kat bar. (Full disclosure: I despise Kit Kat bars for their waxy chocolate and stale wafers. Plus that Greenpeace ad with the orangutan fingers totally haunts me.)

Do you ever just get totally overtaken by all of the thoughts and opinions in your head? Or the stuff outside your head, in your environment? Once I start down the path of exploration of all the things I feel about my family, my life, my work, my world, the world, and everyone in it, my mind ultimately explodes into infinite dark spaces and questions. I love to explore and dive deep into these moments sometimes, but sometimes I just get anxious and overwhelmed.

A quote that comes to mind is:

“One is a great deal less anxious if one feels perfectly free to be anxious, and the same may be said of guilt.” *

For me this quote boils down to: give yourself a break! As long as you are trying to live a good, kind life as a good version of yourself, let yourself “mess up” because that might be a tool on the way to living well.  For too long I was totally consumed by guilt. And guilt about feeling so much guilt. Now (long story short: after therapy, time with good friends, lifestyle changes, and accepting support of all shapes) I try to focus on the good things/moments/wins/feelings, and let myself off the hook if I occasionally feel guilty or overwhelmed or pissed off or crazy anxious or whatever. I just let the feeling take over, acknowledge it, maybe try to figure out where it’s coming from (and maybe not) and let it pass. Many times this is easier said than done but this quote is a good reminder for me. Though sometimes in the throws of feeling awful, I read this quote and want to shout “F*ck you, Alan*!” And then I let myself off the hook for thinking that.

*Alan Wilson Watts