You know when life’s chugging along great, and suddenly you get news that shifts your energy so completely, it’s like you enter another world?

I had one of these moments last week. It’s too personal to share right now, but the effect brought me back to an old wound I’m still healing.

For a few days, I felt the weight of fear and sadness in my heart. I felt like I lost the joy I’ve cultivated this year. The peaceful woods of New Mexico seemed like a distant memory.

The news came right as we were moving apartments in San Francisco. As we settled into our new and nicer place, the heaviness in my chest colored my perception.

I felt guarded. Minor issues became major ones, I saw problems that weren’t problems, and people’s comments felt like personal attacks.

When we’re carrying an emotional weight, the world looks different. Every encounter is filtered through a lens that does not reflect our authentic well-being.

It’s important to recognize when we’re in a dark cloud so we don’t make rash decisions. We can still do our jobs, but we must have compassion for ourselves, and remember as John Mayer puts it:

“It’s just a wave, It’s just a wave, when it comes, I just hold on, I just hold on.”

Letting the wave pass is all we can do. As we hold on, new insights arise and we eventually get back to a grounded, energetic space.

Lucky for us, we have tools to help us move through the process faster.

During the middle of my day — feeling too dark to focus on work — I got on my meditation pillow and sat. I rested into my body, felt the heaviness in my heart, and coached my way through the pain.

An insight came related to the cause of the wound. After an emotional release of tears and shreiks, some of the weight lifted.

My glasses changed.

I could see again.

The word relief comes from Latin, which means “Raise again.” I felt relieved as the weight moved, uplifting my energy and my mindset.

It even allowed me to write the first draft of this post. If I had to sum up it’s message:

Be kind to yourself when you feel down. Be aware that your heaviness colors your perception. Take time to attend to your well-being. It’s just a wave — hold on.

Feel to Heal is a meditation to support you in your healing and growth.