When Life Feels Light—and When It Doesn’t
Sometimes I feel like I’m cruising through life. Other times, it feels more like trudging uphill in thick mud. You may know those contrasts yourself. The seasons when you glide, energized and certain, and the seasons when every step feels heavier than the last.
When I’m cruising, everything lights me up. My energy feels abundant and clean. I wake with clarity, move through my day with purpose, and end my evening with a satisfying exhale, grateful for what I accomplished. On those days, I feel connected and aligned. I want those moments to become more than accidents of circumstance—I want them to become habit.
The Slip Into Overwhelm
But life doesn’t always honor our best intentions.
Some stretches arrive with low energy, emotional fog, and very real physical signs—the familiar ache in my hip, the tension in my shoulders, the restless sleep that refuses to settle. And when my body is tired, everything else follows. Projects stall. Focus wavers. Even small tasks can feel enormous.
Maybe you’ve felt that, too.
Sometimes, none of my projects are close enough to completion to give me the gratification that normally fuels me. Sometimes I procrastinate. And sometimes I skimp on sleep, telling myself that staying up just a little later will help me catch up—only to discover the next morning that exhaustion steals more time than it gives.
These are the unmistakable signals of overwhelm. When they show up, I go to the horses or turn toward something creative. Both give me clarity. Both help me come home to myself.
Understanding What Pulls You Under
During my Equine Gestalt Coaching training, one assignment was to identify ten core values and three “move-away-from” values—emotional states I’d do almost anything to avoid. Fear of failure. Disconnection. Shame. Overwhelm.
We also created supportive internal “rules” to help us stay aligned with our values while steering clear of the patterns that drain us.
Overwhelm was originally my primary move-away-from value. More recently, perfectionism took the top spot. Because perfectionism is often the gateway straight into overwhelm.
For example, when I’m editing a photograph or refining a design and something feels slightly off, that’s my perfectionism speaking. I tweak and adjust long past usefulness. Suddenly, I’m behind, stressed, and right back in overwhelm. All because one small thing wasn’t “perfect.”
What About You?
Do you know your values?
Do you know what nourishes your energy—and what quietly erodes your peace?
Values are one piece of the larger internal landscape. Our personality patterns, emotional habits, inner narratives, and personal history all shape how we move through the world. And understanding them gives us power and compassion for ourselves.
An Invitation to Explore More Than Values
If you’d like support in exploring your inner world—not just your values, but the many parts of you that shape how you show up in your life and relationships—I’d love for you to join me for my upcoming virtual series.
The Kaleidoscope Within:
Having the Courage to Connect with Every Part of You
This six-week Gestalt-based virtual PlayShop goes far beyond identifying values. Together we will:
- Create a safe, sacred space where you can connect with yourself and others.
- Explore your personality type and learn how different types interact, helping you improve communication and strengthen relationships.
- Discover the “kaleidoscope” of your inner world—the many parts of you that show up in different situations, and how to bring your best forward.
- Identify your values and understand how they guide decisions, support growth, and sometimes keep you stuck.
- Develop a personal vision to anchor you during difficult times and move you toward your goals.
- Assess your life as a whole, noticing where small changes can create meaningful improvements.
- Optionally, we can also explore your genogram—a powerful look at generational patterns that may be influencing your choices today.
My hope is that you walk away knowing yourself at a deeper level, equipped with tools that strengthen your relationships—with loved ones, coworkers, and most importantly, yourself.
This work supported me through caregiving for my husband, through my breast cancer diagnosis, and through the losses of both my husband and father. It helped me understand myself, stay grounded, and navigate life with more compassion.
I’d be honored to guide you into that same clarity.
Click the button to connect with me, and I’ll share more details as they become available.
Every story needs a soundtrack.
This is the one I’ve chosen for this post—sometimes because of the title, sometimes the lyrics, sometimes simply the feeling it stirs in me.
CS Bar — my grandfather Charles Socolofsky’s brand. Today, it’s mine too. A legacy carried forward, one story at a time.
On the ranch, there’s a saying: Ride for the Brand. It means you show up with loyalty, integrity, and heart—you stay true to the one you serve. For me, writing here is a way of riding for the brand of my own life’s work: being authentic, living with courage, and sharing stories that matter.
Stories are powerful. They don’t land the same way for everyone—each reader brings their own experiences, hopes, and hurts to the words. That’s the beauty of it. My stories may carry one meaning for me, and yet spark something entirely different for you. That doesn’t make either version wrong. It means we’re connecting in the only way humans truly can—through our imperfect, varied interpretations of life.
So here, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll tell my stories—the raw, the ordinary, the joyful, the hard—and trust that you’ll find the piece that speaks to you. This is my way of riding for the brand and inviting you along for the journey.
Onward!
Susan
