Have you ever felt like you’re coming up against a brick wall?

Maybe you know what I mean; maybe you don’t. I’m referring to periods of time that are just plain hard. Things are going on — too many things, in fact, and you feel like you just can’t keep up. Sometimes events are layered on top of each other like a mountain that gets bigger with every sandstorm. Or sometimes, it’s just one very large, seemingly unmovable mountain that won’t seem to budge, no matter how many times you try to find a way around it.

Whatever the case is, I’ve had a similar sort of experience this past month. I’ve hinted to it on social media, and I won’t go into the reasons why at this point, but it was definitely a mountain-like month. And having just come through the other side, I’ve got some thoughts I’d like to share, in case you ever hit times like this yourself.

In primary school, we learnt about STOP, DROP AND ROLL in the case of a fire emergency. I’ve designed my own method: stop, drop and breathe. A casual manual, of sorts, I created it as a guide to refer to when needed, when you just need a rational voice to tell you what you need to do.

Here’s how it’s played out:

STOP putting extra pressure on yourself to perform. Pause those social engagements and anything else that is not essential for right this second. Focus on the present. Focus on the essential. Quit telling yourself you should be doing more, and instead realise how much you’re doing already. Put an end to destructive, unhelpful thoughts, because all they are are destructive and unhelpful. Stop comparing yourself to others, find new ways to be kind to yourself. Why? Because that’s all that’s important — right this second. And this second is all that matters.

DROP the expectations. Let go of the desire to be perfect. Take a breath and just pause. Move through your day slowly, treating yourself gently every step of the way. Literally, if you need to, just put yourself in bed and rest. Allow yourself to rest. Allow yourself to have days where the most productive thing you did was take it easy. Because rest is productive after all. Liberate yourself with the knowledge that you’ve done your best and that’s all you can do. Release the pressure, let yourself relax.

BREATHE through it all — the good, bad and ugly. As one of the oldest, most basic methods of self regulation, breathing is totally underrated. So bring it back. Inhale calm, exhale stress. Do it in your own way, the way that feels right for you. If it’s messy and uneven at first, that’s ok; you’ll get there. Just breathe. Realise that while you may not have control over anything else, you can control your breath — right here and right now. Allow yourself the freedom of release. You can do it. And it will help.