I recently had some sad news. I had been working on something big for the past 2 years. I was gearing up for a life-changing event in the past 2 months. Then it all just stopped.

I’ve had bad news before so I’m not living in a bubble, but this is the first time that I’ve actually taken the time to recognize what was happening. Usually sad news is kept to myself and rarely or generically discussed.

You see, emotions have sharp edges and those sharp edges hurt! Especially the ones usually classified as negative like, sadness, anger, and grief. You can search the web and find so many recommendations to handle strong emotions. Is there a right or a wrong way? maybe. But there certainly is a healthy and unhealthy way. The healthy way is that which works best for you and is not harmful to yourself or others. The important takeaway here is that you process those emotions. Letting them stew away only makes them rancid and you rot from within.

What I learned about myself is that I don’t have to keep sad news a secret. People that love and care about me truly want to help me. So this time I told a few people. Then I got active. I started purging closets, drawers and bins of unnecessary items (yes I have hoarding tendencies) and created a huge pile for donations. Then I ate 2 bags of popcorn and binge watched Netflix. The next day, I told some more people, and some more. The more I told the news the lighter my mental load and the easier it became to accept the gifts of warmth from those around me.

So grab 2 bags of popcorn and purge those things that are weighing you down. The more we purge, the more room for the next big thing.