Did you ever feel like quiting when situations became too much?

Absolutely. I remember a time when I was working full-time from 6am to 2pm in a hospital as a Hospitalist Coordinator. At that time, I had a son who was in middle school and I had to have him at Basketball practice daily from 4pm to 8pm, I was also juggling being a single parent with pursuing my Master's in Business Administration (MBA). I had papers due, discussion questions that I had to turn in by 11:59 pm. There were times when I was asking myself "what are you thinking?".

It became too much at one time for me. I failed to mention that I was also part-time military, which requires full-time level of effort which had me stretched thin. So, for me when the situation became too much, I did not quit, but I took some time to myself to ask myself WHY. Why am I doing this? What I am looking to get from all of this work? Is this worth it?

My Why allowed me to regroup and figure out what is truly important in life and asking myself Why allowed me to prioritize my activities, include self care, and really focus on the passion and excitement I had from the situation.

When a situation becomes too much, go back to that passion you have about a particular thing. If the passion is not there, if it serves no valuation purpose in your life, then it is not a matter of quitting, but a matter of eliminating unnecessary stress and failure. If you have to eliminate it or let it go, than that is not the same as quitting. Self care is about understanding your capacity and making the correct decisions to let things go that no longer serve you or things that are causing more harm than good. It is a matter of perspective on a situation. Quitting is when you have not made any considerations and let stopped something from an emotional place.

For sure! I don't know that anyone has never hit that point. I know for me when I've gotten to that point it means I need some reset time. That can mean walking away and taking a break, going outside on a walk to clear my mind. Everyone will deal with stress in their life the best advice I could give you is to find what calms you down and resets you. Then make sure you take the time for yourself as often as you need it.

Absolutely! I don't know anyone who has never faced discouragement, exhaustion and burn-out. It is a truly human experience. I have had many points at which I felt like giving up, and sometimes those points were a blessing. The times that you feel overwhelmed are the times that you can step back and evaluate your position. Sometimes you have more than one option! Sometimes these points provide you with the perspective you need to really examine your situation, and give you the time to ask whether what you are doing is healthy, relevant to your interests, and worth it.

There were a lot of times I found myself in situations that felt like drowning. Each time, I asked myself if what I was doing, in the long run, was truly of benefit to me, or to anyone else. We have a solid narrative in our culture about pushing through, not giving up, overcoming obstacles, etc., but it's important to examine whether or not this philosophy is appropriate to the circumstances.

I want to remind you that sometimes giving up is healthy. Sometimes giving up is the right thing to do. If you find yourself in a situation that is abusive, unhealthy, harmful, or irrelevant, there is no shame in choosing to prioritize yourself over that narrative.

If you are strong enough to push yourself through painful, difficult, heartbreaking times, you are strong enough to be honest with yourself about the value of that struggle. Is it worth it? Does it benefit you or the ones you love? Why are you committing yourself to the act?

You would never tell a person you love to keep beating their head into a wall for no reason. Don't do it to yourself! Be honest with yourself and kind to yourself. These things take more strength than just bulling through a situation because you think you aren't supposed to give up.

That being said, you can do it! Rock on! Do your thing! Life splits into countless myriad paths, and there will always, always be a way forward. There is no single goal. There is no one way to win. Be strong, love yourself, be kind, be open to opportunity.

Good luck!