There are times when life gives you more than you think you can handle. For me, there were moments when the thought of sobriety seemed impossible and living with a vision impacting disability felt devastating. The idea of living without these things that I depended on felt like more than I could take. But I’m learning that handling it doesn’t mean conquering it all at once. Sometimes, it just means getting out of bed and putting one foot in front of the other—showing up for myself.

In early recovery, living one day at a time was the only way I could manage. When I woke up in the morning, the thought of not drinking seemed ginormous, but taking the day moment by moment made it manageable. It reminds me often of my training for a 5K—something I never thought I could do. But I did it, one step at a time, just by showing up, I handled what seemed like an insurmountable personal challenge by taking the next right step. The thoughts in my head can feel huge, but when I share them with someone else, they lose their weight. They become lighter.

Life’s challenges, whether it’s sobriety, grief, or health struggles, can feel like more than you can handle. But by waking up and showing up, we are handling it—even when it feels like we aren’t at all. We don’t have to face any of these struggles alone. Reach out, talk to someone, and remember that the hardest step is often just getting up.

Thanks for reading, and remember: when you don’t want to face the day and just getting up feels like more than you can handle, do it anyway. You’re doing it! You’re stronger than you think.