I don't expect sad things to happen, but they do, all the time. Awful ones, and to good people. Car wrecks, grave illnesses, crushing betrayals, unexpectedly terrible grades, financial upheavals - and usually in just the wrong, heart-stopping moment.
How do we protect ourselves from the emotional fallout of a hardship? What can we do NOW to prepare for these upsets, or (heavy sigh) for the glassy-eyed, brain-fried detachment that comes with week after week of work stress, family responsibilities (...if I have to fill out one more *&%$@ school form...) and the boredom of chores, chores, chores?
When bad or aggravating things happen to me, I want to crawl in a hole, a private and insulated nest with no talking, certainly no explanations, no one searching my face for the reasons why or nagging for next steps. I guess that's fine for a little while, but it can become a dark place of silent invisibility. Not good for anyone.
So, like preppers hoarding supplies for Armageddon - we need to
GET OURSELVES READY. You and I need to know for certain, ahead of time, what has the best chance of helping us rise out of the scorching bleakness that inevitably roars through.
Of course, we're all different. What lifts me out of a funk might bore you to tears (time alone with a wise friend, holding a baby, frilly pink peonies, the thrill ride of a Stephen King novel, my mom's breakfast cookies - see above). And if skydiving, extreme roller coasters or trapeze artistry is your bag, well my friend, you have fun with that. :)
This month, in my free group coaching session at Inspire Yoga (see sidebar), our focus will be
finding the juice (the emotional resilience) necessary to recover from hardship and heartache. Because for climbing out of that dark and lonely hole, knowing ourselves - what we love and what we need - is mission-critical.
Join us and you'll do some thinking, make private lists and plans, and have a really good time, besides.
I'd love to see you there! Come on out.