Who Is Your Person When You’re Feeling Low?
On Sunday night, I didn’t sleep very well.
If you have experienced perimenopause, you may know the routine. You go to bed feeling tired, but the moment the light goes off, your brain decides it is time to think about everything.
I read my book for a while, turned the light off and tried again. My brain immediately went back to this, that and everything else.
By Monday morning, I was exhausted and feeling sick, so I didn’t work. I was also booked in for a chat with my best friend Mandy, and part of me worried I would be too tired and grumpy to enjoy it.
A friendship that has lasted a lifetime
Mandy and I have been friends for almost our whole lives, which is a very long time now.
We hadn’t spoken for a while, but that didn’t matter. We picked up where we left off and started catching each other up on everything that had happened.
We talked about menopause, family, holidays, art, movies, music and work. Mandy hadn’t realised quite how creative I had become, despite knowing me for most of my life.
We talked for more than 90 minutes and could probably have carried on for hours.
Tony and Theresa’s wedding day
Tony on the left is Mandy’s dad. Reg on the right is my dad. Dad was their best man and I was their ‘little bridesmaid’.
The comfort of someone familiar
There is something different about talking to a person who has known you for a long time.
You don’t need to explain every piece of your history because they already know so much of it. The conversation can move from something serious to something ridiculous without requiring a neat transition.
I am comfortable with Paul and Scruff, of course, but speaking to someone familiar outside my own home gave me something extra that day.
Mandy and I caught up, remembered things and giggled our way through the conversation. By the time we finished, I felt so much better.
Connection doesn’t need to be complicated
It is easy to put off contacting someone because too much time has passed or you don’t have the energy for a big conversation.
A good friendship doesn’t always need constant contact. Sometimes you can return after weeks or months and continue where you left off.
You might not need advice or an answer. You may need to hear a familiar voice and spend some time with someone who knows you beyond whatever is happening today.
Who is your person?
Most of us have someone who makes life feel a little lighter after a conversation.
It might be a lifelong friend, someone you met later in life or a person who understands a particular part of you better than anybody else.
Who is the person you need to connect with when you’re feeling low? Perhaps this is your reminder to contact them.
