June 12th, 2011
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Have you heard this saying before? I’ve seen it credited to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And I’ve been thinking about what it means to feel like you’re at the end of your rope, when you believe that you can’t take any more. When you feel like you just can’t go on.
The advice is to tie a knot and hang on. I get it – don’t give up. But what about that knot? What does it look like? How can you possibly tie a knot when you’re hanging on for dear life?
What I’ve learned in life and from my clients is this: While our brain is telling us – “There’s no way I can tie the rope! I’m going to fall!”, this isn’t always what we should believe. What feels like disaster is often times simply life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. We can make it, even if we tell ourselves that we can’t.
So, what about that knot? For some it’s talking to a friend or going to your yoga/meditation class. For others, it’s joining a 12-step program or support group. The knot can also be therapy or counseling. The extra support, understanding and guidance these and other “knots” can provide can help you hang on to the rope…even when you think you can’t.
Contact Mike Giordano, LICSW for therapy and counseling in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC at 202/460-6384 or Mike.Giordano.MSW@gmail.com