There is no normal, just an ability to cope with life.  There may be “accepted” ways to deal with life, but there comes a point for all of us where what is accepted and what works for us can be different things.  We tend to feel out of sorts or not normal if we aren’t doing things the accepted way but the reality is our ability to cope with day to day life and the common stressors determine how normal we feel.  It isn’t that we deal with it the same way, it’s that we learn to regulate ourselves to what feels normal for us.  Just remember that normal is relative and will look different for all of us. There are times the day to day isn’t easy for anyone so it’s important to remember that we aren’t the same people and that we will react differently to the same stimuli.  If we are getting by and making it happen (whatever it is) then we are good, that’s enough even if it doesn’t look that way. 

So this goes back to what I opened with—there is no normal, just an ability to cope with life.  If we are making progress, that’s all that matters.  There is no expectation of perfection, just steady movement on a trajectory toward a goal.  Some days it may seem like all we can do is cope—this life gets overwhelming easily.  If we are making it through the day with kindness and grace for ourselves and others and we see progress in the long run, it doesn’t matter what that journey looked like.  Trust that we are in the right place at the right time and all is happening for a reason.  All is well and all serves to get us where we need to go.  The amazing thing is once we reach that point, it isn’t about coping with life, it’s just living.