Why Me?

I stubbed my toe while getting ready for the day, my bike got a flat on the way to meet my friend, and to top it all off, I found out a time-sensitive email hadn’t left my outbox like I thought it did and I was late to respond to a work-related project. I could feel my body getting hot with frustration. Why is this happening to me?

Why me? Why not me? Life will always be filled with moments that don’t go my way. Although in the heat of the moment it might not feel like it, I have options for how I can respond to my life from frustrating inconveniences to scary, life-threatening medical diagnoses.

That doesn’t mean I won’t feel sad or disappointed. I’m allowed to have a full range of feelings. What I am practicing is responding to those feelings in a useful way.

When I feel sad, I can consider journaling. When I am disappointed, it might help to call a friend. When I am overwhelmed or filled with fear, I can pause and meditate. These tools don’t make the difficult experiences go away but they give me a way to process them rather than spiral into a dark place.

My practice is not and never will be perfect. But the more I practice, the more likely I will be to pick up a tool that helps.

ACTION: Take a minute to think about what tools would be most useful for YOU to react to both good and bad news. Is it pausing for a deep breath? Is it journaling your thoughts and feelings? Maybe it’s a walk in nature or a call to a friend. Don’t wait until you’re upset to use these tools. Practice using them no matter what mood you’re in so that you develop the muscle when you really need it.

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