Is anyone else feeling… weird lately? Not weird like putting on a clown wig and jumping around downtown. LOL But weird like, off. Strange. Emotional but distant. Conflicted. Sad yet optimistic. Like, a bunch of contradictory feelings at once?
I’ve heard that Mercury in Retrograde (yep, it’s that time again) can do that. It’s really easy to get all caught up in emotions and let everything spiral in life. Easy to get angry, frustrated, sad, pick fights, get sucked into arguments, or want to just escape from it all.
None of that solves anything, however. Taking a step back, does. Heck if you need a quiet day, take one. Turn off your phone, computer, etc. Bundle up and take a walk outside. Read an enlightening book. Journal. Meditate. Take a nap.
Look within, find what’s uncomfortable inside you and re-evaluate. What can be done to change that discomfort? Rather than going outside ourselves for solutions… times like this are usually pointing us inward.
Is there a situation in your life that’s been causing difficulty? Is it a repetitive situation? A relationship or living situation? Work situation? Look within, see if there are any thoughts and behaviors you can change within yourself to make it more comfortable. A wise and wonderful woman once told me, “The common denominator in all our life situations, is US”. Whoa. Profound, yes?
Sometimes it’s just a simple change in outlook and attitude that will make all the difference. Other times, it takes more drastic measures, like moving out or getting another job… But in my experience, those instances are actually rare. Most of the time, jumping ship is an escape route rather than a solution. How do you know if you’ve taken the escape route? There will be a pattern. If we’re being honest, it will look like every similar situation in life has been identical, well, in different locales with different people. If that’s the case… the necessary change is attitude and outlook. Hey, it saves on U-Haul fees and job hunting 😉
Making a life change, or lifestyle adjustment, is strange at first because it’s new. Escape routes are so much easier (we think). Out of sight/out of mind is great until the shiny new escape route becomes the same thing that we had issue with before.
Making life change/lifestyle adjustments more comfortable:
1) Write it down. What’s going on? Is this a pattern? What are the ways people react to you in these situations? How do you react? What can be changed about your outlook? Can you arrange a meeting?
2) Communication. The bottom line in all things is timely, respectful communication. The manner in which things are addressed really makes a difference on the conversation and outcome. Timely means, as soon as possible. No “stuffing” feelings for eons until your blood is boiling. Respectful means, remembering that offensiveness will breed defensiveness and/or more offensiveness. Respect and thoughtfulness breeds understanding. Remember, sometimes people just don’t agree. And that’s ok when there is understanding. Maybe compromise is in order.
3) Look Within. Take notice of habitual behaviors. Are you prone to “stuffing”? Is passive-aggression the norm? Is anger like a volcano that can erupt at any time? What can be done to heal and begin new habits? Sometimes deep-seated anger management issues stem from the past. They really have nothing to do with present circumstances. A life coach, therapist, or other professional can be sought to assist with healing these. Otherwise, write down the behaviors you wish to improve, and next to those, write down better ways to handle things. For example. Stuffing frustration about a co-worker always slacking while you do all the work only leads to an anger blow out. A better way to handle that situation, is to take a coffee break or lunch with that person and talk about it. Another good suggestion is, stop doing it all! Simple as that. Write out a responsibility list, or just verbally delegate projects. Let those projects GO if they aren’t your responsibility.
I’ve heard it said many times that life is a reflection of our own thoughts and attitudes. This is true. If things aren’t feeling the way we want them to, the first place to look is within. A good 95% of the time, our life will improve when our thoughts and attitudes do.
Let’s do this! Let’s change our thoughts and take action on making our lives feel like what dreams are made of. We’ve GOT this!!
Great blog. 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate that! 🙂