To Anyone Who Is Struggling Right Now

It’s that time of year again. The days are still chilly and short, yet, somehow the world is warm and bright. You see other people rushing to decorate their Christmas trees, buy presents for all their loved ones, cook festive meals, and equip themselves with matching pyjama sets.

The streets are glowing with millions of little lights shining brightly like stars on the firmament. When every storefront bursts with joy, enforcing the festive atmosphere on each and every one of us, you might feel your vulnerable soul break down a little. For you are alone, disconnected from the Holiday cheer.

Maybe you’ve lost someone near and dear to your heart. The overwhelming sense of emptiness has drained you mentally and physically, and every day you wrestle with grief so profound it feels like you can’t breathe.

Maybe you know a struggle that hardly anyone in your surroundings can relate to. Barely getting by, with options and perspectives now out of reach, fading into a void. A stranger in a strange land, you roam this world with no guidance, lost and confused.

Maybe you’ve been taking care of someone who is sick. You smile, put on your everything-is-going-to-be-ok face, and present a façade of strength and reassurance. You are their rock, you have to keep it together because if you break, they break. So you keep going and blinking back tears.

Maybe you are unwell yourself, your body working against you rather than with you. Parts of your physical form are shutting down, dragging down your mental health into a vast pit of despair. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be a mirage.

Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone you trusted. The foundations of this and subsequent relationships have been torn apart. A partner swore to love you, a friend promised to cheer you on, a parent was supposed to protect you. Instead, they pushed you away and built their own prosperity on your pain.

Maybe you failed on your way to success. Maybe you failed so spectacularly that losing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has left you too devastated to try again. It feels like the doors are closing, the walls are too tall to climb, and the glass ceilings keep appearing out of nowhere. You have no key, no ladder, and your North Star is nowhere to be found.

Not all questions have answers. Not all wounds heal properly. Today, we come to you with as much light as we can send in this short letter. You are enough and you are loved. Keep persisting. Keep persevering.

We cannot tell you when better days will come. We cannot sit with you to hold your hand right now. But please know, we see you. You’ll get through this eventually. This, too, shall pass.

It’s ok to feel lonely and sad. Give yourself time to heal. Sorrow is a valid, important feeling that makes us wiser. And since love is the strongest force in the Universe, this letter is our piece of it for you. Please accept it, use it to keep going. Even if it does not feel like it at this moment, you have so much to live for. You’re destined for greatness.

With love,

The Intelligent Change Team