Since I’m feeling much better now than I was for most of the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about the calm after the storm. Things have settled down for me, most of my negative emotions have retreated, and I’m feeling much more like myself. I caught myself wondering how long this calm time will last before the next storm comes my way, which is something I routinely think about at the end of a difficult stretch. I’m certain that thinking this way does me more harm than good in several ways.
At the very least, expecting something bad to happen during a pleasant season takes away the joy of whatever good things are currently going on. Whether I’m learning some cool new life hacks, spending quality time with a few close friends, or just feeling at peace with everything, I’d rather focus on what I have than imagine how things could start going downhill. Additionally, what if expecting the worst is what’s causing the difficult times in my life? What if it’s attracting negative things, inclining me to make bad decisions, or making me overreact to a minor inconvenience and letting it ruin my day? In that case, I’d be wise to change my mindset sooner rather than later.
I know that staying present and surrendering to unwanted emotions is the way to stay in a good place and avoid the emotional roller coaster I seem to go through every few months. At this point, I hope that I’ve been through this cycle enough to remember to do this stuff each day. I’d prefer to see what it’s like to make this a permanent way of life than to endless repeat this lesson without ever learning it. We’ll see what happens.