Have you ever felt incredibly happy, or chilled, only for life to then throw a curveball at you? And during times like these, how do you react? Does your brain start storytelling?
Let me start off by telling you one thing – the world isn’t against you. It isn’t testing you either. A state of happiness can’t last forever, but neither will the state of UN-happiness.
But it can be difficult to know what to do next sometimes, right?
A Disastrous Day!
Let me tell you a story.
A couple of weeks ago I went to a soul cleanse. As you may have guessed by the name, the experience is designed to make you feel incredibly relaxed and refreshed afterwards – and it definitely worked for me!
When I left, I was in such a chilled state that I ended up driving over a curb! Safe to say I felt pretty embarrassed after that – and then it got worse. I had a flat tyre! I quickly realised I had to take action – so I went to a nearby garage.
The owner told me they didn’t have the right tyre, but they could get it soon. I asked if I could leave my car overnight, then called up Jane to pick me up.
When the Brain starts Storytelling
The next morning, I received a phone call.
“You did leave your car here overnight, right?”
I immediately panicked, and started thinking the worst. Had someone stolen my car? Had it been destroyed somehow? My brain was reaching for all kinds of different scenarios, and started storytelling.
The person ringing me had looked in the obvious places, couldn’t immediately see it and wanted to check that their records were right, hence the phone call.
It turned out my car was right at the back, behind various parts and junk. It took a while, but of course I got it back, good as new (well, almost!).
Hacking those Worries
Sometimes, the smallest of things can cause your mind to go off on a tangent. It might be understandable to slightly panic when you think a garage has lost your car, but why do you worry about whether you should walk to work or drive? Why worry about whether you should choose fish or chicken for a family dinner, or whether it is going to rain in 2 weeks time for the Coronation party the street is holding? Why do people react this way to these things?
Studies have shown that 91% of the things people worry about never happen. “Born worriers” would answer that by thinking of all the things that can go wrong, they can only feel better when it doesn’t go wrong. But 91% of your time is being wasted.
Decision Making
Here’s the thing, we all do this each and everyday, even when it comes to the smallest of decisions. What to have for breakfast. Whether or not to walk or drive to work. It might not seem like much of a concern, but the fact that you’re questioning it means that it can become even the smallest of worries.
Sometimes, this can help us make these decisions – considering pros and cons for example. But on a grand scale, it can cause you to overthink.
And when it comes to overthinking, sometimes the best option is to just take yourself out of things for a while. Step away from the storytelling. Remember your WHY feeling. Ask yourself if your current situation is in sync with it.
This can help you make a quick decision, one that doesn’t need constant backtracking or questioning.
So, when life does throw a curveball at you – take action, don’t overthink. When you’re able to take control of the situation, your mind won’t need to take over.
Cheryl xx
PS – If you liked this blog and want to read more blogs surrounding female empowerment, you can find last week’s here: ‘The Law of Reciprocity‘
“I’m on a global mission to help 10 million disheartened souls, who are at a crossroads, to STOP asking why me? And START saying why not me!”