Some days, it feels like life is out to get you. A broken arm. A trip to the ER for something in your kid’s eye. A bill you forgot about. A set of tires needing to be replaced. A fight with someone you love. Piling on, one after the other. And then—because life doesn’t seem to care about timing—those little everyday stresses feel like they weigh a hundred pounds more than they should.
For those of us who have walked through real trauma—grief, loss, tragedy, close calls, or impossible decisions—there’s a unique challenge in these compounding moments. It’s not just the broken arm or the bill or the argument. It’s the way those things press down on a foundation that’s already cracked. It’s how normal stress can trigger deep, unresolved emotions we thought we had a handle on.
When you’ve experienced something life-altering, it changes the lens through which you see everything else. The bad can feel worse. The small stuff can open the floodgates. It can feel like nothing is going right—not because everything is broken, but because you’re carrying the weight of something bigger, something ongoing, something invisible to most people around you.
But here’s the truth: life always has its ups and downs. That’s not new. What’s different is that trauma can heighten our sensitivity to the hard moments. It sharpens the contrast. It brings the darker edges into focus, sometimes at the expense of the light. This doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re still human, still healing, still finding your footing in a world that keeps spinning regardless of what you’ve been through.
If you’re in a season where the small stuff feels like too much—where the broken arm is more than a broken arm, and the stress of family life feels overwhelming—know this: you’re not alone. These moments don’t define you, but they do deserve your attention. It’s okay to take a breath. It’s okay to ask for help. And it’s more than okay to admit that carrying the weight of your past makes the present harder sometimes.
A Survivor Mindset isn’t about pretending things are fine. It’s about learning to move through the weight with honesty, courage, and community. You’ve survived worse. You’ll get through this too.
But it’s okay to say: right now, it’s really fucking hard.
Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde
