I was several states away from home. I’d just arrived for a week of business, and I stopped for a quick bite to eat before settling in. I hadn’t noticed at first, but once I sat at the restaurant table, I noticed the message on the cups: Feeling All Bubbly Inside.

I almost spit my drink across the table.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have made me laugh, because the memory it spurred reminded me of a struggle—not mine but someone I dearly love. She called me on the front end of a horrible betrayal and heartbreak. At the time, we were still growing our friendship. We lived states apart, but we easily connected. I’m not sure she had ever called me in the middle of a day. She had only called me only a handful of times at any point of a day. But I remember exactly where I was and how her desperate voice sounded. She was spiraling. I had no easy answers. I prayed as I listened to her sobs and broken words, and I prayed as I shared disjointed words of encouragement. We still talk about the strange advice I confidently gave her.

She was on her way home, and I told her to stop somewhere to pick up a drink with bubbles. Then go home, put on comfortable clothes, curl up under a blanket, and breathe…while intermittently sipping on a bubbly drink. Sure, bubbles might soothe her churching stomach, but that wasn’t my thought. Bubbles move upward, so why wouldn’t they feel soothing and uplifting? It somehow made sense.

It worked—not because it fixed a miniscule ounce of her chaos but because it gave her something to temporarily focus on while the world swirled around her. (She made sure to get a Sonic Route 44 to maximize the bubbles.)

I’ve occasionally suggested the same approach to people. I’ve taken the same advice for myself. There’s nothing magic in the bubbles, but they can oddly provide a little lift of temporary relief in a moment of weight. And maybe that’s what you need right now. Whether it’s a crushing moment or a trying season, take a little break. Sip a few refreshing bubbles. They won’t fix your problems, but they might give you a moment to breathe and reset to step back into the chaos or mundane struggles you’re facing.