I like to think of the mental baggage everyone carries as a backpack.

As we put more and more stuff into this backpack, it gets heavier. The heavier it is, the tougher it is to move forward with your life. There are times in a person’s life when the backpack becomes so heavy, they hit a dead stop. The straps have cut into their shoulders, and the stuff inside the backpack is coming out. The only problem is, it’s coming out all at once and they don’t have a clue of how to deal with it. What do they pick up? What goes back in? What do they leave on the ground?

One response to this is running away.

Running away can be a common thought while growing up. A person believes they deserve better, or they don’t have to put up with the discipline. Not everyone thinks this while they are young, but there are some who do.

This can also happen during adulthood.

When the backpack becomes too heavy and the stuff inside is falling out, a person’s first response could be: I need to get out of here. They want nothing to do with anything they carried in the backpack, because they can’t handle it. Their life is falling apart all at once and they don’t know what to do. So this person will run away. They might move away and sever contact with those they held in their backpack. They might run away from themselves and suffer a mental breakdown. Lost, they might delve into drugs and alcohol. There are all types of different ways to run away from problems.

One method I find that helps is to examine the stuff you carry in your backpack. Which stuff is the heaviest? Should it be that heavy? Should it be in your backpack in the first place? This is a great way to organize your thoughts. It can help a person confront their issues and take out the really heavy stuff slowing them down, or at least reduce the weight.

People carry a lot of baggage; we all have a backpack full of stuff. If we can reduce the weight we carry, we can lead better, more enjoyable lives.