What should you do when you feel overwhelmed? I’m not a big fan of anyone telling someone else what they “should” do. Instead, I can share a story.

After my grandfather passed away, less than two months later my grandmother passed as well. And then about two-and-a-half months later, my father-in-law passed. Then, three months later, our son was born.

I struggled that year from losing so many family members. I remember the Christmas before: My wife and I had shared the good news that we would be having our first child. We celebrated, smiled, and there were lots of hugs.

I didn’t know then that less than a month later my grandfather would be gone.

Each time I started to get a semblance of calm in my life, we lost another family member. And when our son came into the world, I had wanted to have my grandparents and my father-in-law meet me. But that was not to be.

I have felt overwhelmed in my life and what I’ve learned that works for me is to listen to music, to allow myself the time to feel and to grieve, and to share how I feel with a friend, a loved one, or a therapist.

The hardest lesson that I’ve had to learn is that when I feel overwhelmed that “pushing through” doesn’t help solve the problem. I might think that I can work harder and just get through a hard time, but that’s never worked for me. Never.

When you feel overwhelmed, I hope you take some time to think, see what works for you, and give yourself the space to heal.