I’ve talked about how frustrating
the invisible nature of a traumatic brain injury is before. Today I am going to address it but in a
slightly different way, one that can likely apply to many more people than just
those with unseen injuries. We all have different masks that we wear in different
situations. When you are meeting with your boss, you don’t want to display all of
your pains and complaints; but when you are meeting with your doctor, you may
very well want to do just that. This conditional expression of our feelings
applies especially to mental health. Even when we appear to be doing “fine,” we
may be experiencing turmoil and distress just beneath the surface.
This prevailing sense of “I’m not okay” often comes from a feeling of complete and total internal chaos. This chaos is something that cannot be seen by others, (except the rare times that an anxiety attack emerges). But my brain, like many others, is constantly on fire, while trying to extinguish the flames of chaos.
Something that I have studied and advocated for a long time is the chaos of your external surroundings are often a good indication of the chaos of your internal world. And one of the best things to do to restore order to the chaos inside of your mind is actually to organize something in your external world. Somehow, it actually allows your brain to sort through and organize some of the crazy thoughts or synapses firing all the time.
So, with
that in mind, you would think that my house is ALWAYS a complete mess. But, remember
what I started this post with. Someone can still be in immense chaos, even if
it is not seen. Therefore, my house can appear very clean sometimes, but I have
no idea where things are, my drawers are a mess and I feel such a lack of
control that I become incapable of doing anything at all.
This is
the place I have been in literally ALL year long. And I have been so frustrated
with myself for it. I have felt worthless and stuck. So, if I ended the post
here, while it may help give someone a voice, it would still feel pretty
hopeless. However, last night, I received a priesthood blessing that changed
everything! I was reminded that when God the Father created the Earth, He
looked upon it and saw it as good. But He also saw that there would be much chaos
that would descend upon the Earth. He saw that there would be a great upheaval
that needed a Deliverer. So He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, there
was order, there was peace even amongst all of the chaos. And even among the
great, miraculous, and infinite source of peace Jesus created throughout the
entire universe, He will still be my individual vehicle for peace throughout
the tumultuous seas inside my broken brain. In fact, that is the only way to
overcome the constant chaos within me. I must pray to the Father, in Christ’s
name, to help master the chaos I feel.
