Journey #17

OK.  I get it.  It’s been a really bad day.  Nothing seems to have gone right.  You are annoyed, angry even; certainly frustrated, and just about ready to scream your head off, when ‘someone’ comes up to you, filled with false bonhomie, looks at you and says, in a ridiculously upbeat manner, “It’s all good.  Just think positive thoughts.”

And you?  Well.  That is like waving a red rag at a bull and you are about to send that ‘someone’ flying into the middle of next week!!!  HOW are you supposed to think positive thoughts when your world is collapsing around you!

Sheesh.

We’ve all been there – I know I’ve had more than my fair share of that kind of day.  And week.  And month.  The longer that you sit in that really horrible, destructive energy, the harder it seems to be able to dig yourself out.

There are many ways you can get yourself out of that type of situation and my motto “Flip the fear.  Find the bling” came from one of the ways that I use.  I look for the little, tiny bit of sparkle in the situation – it’s always there.  Often hidden.  I often find it by looking at the absurdity of whatever it is.    Maybe you can see an element of humour?   For me, that reset often comes through being facetious.  For example, after dropping a full carton of eggs on the kitchen floor, and helplessly watching the dogs trail it through the room, I might stand there and ask everyone around me if they want an omelette for dinner! 

It’s about stopping; closing your eyes, and feeling into your body.  Feeling all the parts of you that are tense, recognising that sick feeling in your stomach, the lump in your throat.  And then re-setting your energy by taking a few deep breaths and imagining that breath travelling to all the bits that are out of sorts and soothing them into relaxing.

It is about recognising that you are strong – because if you were not, you’d have given up ages ago.  Me?  I look at the clouds.  They don’t give a stuff if I’ve had a bad day…   and who knows?  Maybe they’ll rain on that ‘someone’ who gave me that aggravating advice – “Think happy thoughts!”