A few weeks ago, I wrote about my friend and neighbor, Judy, and her house full of adult children. I talked about how she had decided to take advantage of this special time with them and embrace the opportunity to develop an adult relationship with her children and her daughter’s fiancé, Jon. I talked about how well it was working out. That was a few weeks ago. One evening the fiancé made a delicious focaccia as a treat after dinner. He and Judy’s son, Mike, were setting up a projector and screen in the backyard to watch movies at night. Meanwhile, Mike’s large greyhound decided to sample the focaccia cooling on the counter. Jon was understandably angry that his hard work had been destroyed. He went straight to bed and the night was ruined. Good news, 24 hours later everyone is getting along again.
What can we learn from challenging situations? Judy said that her kids learned to be more respectful of each other and each person’s needs. Jon now is careful about where he leaves his baked goods to cool. Mike is more conscious of where his dog is roaming. Out of this situation, everyone learned to be more aware.
We are all in a challenging situation right now. What can we each learn going forward? Two important things I would encourage you all to consider are 1) taking care of yourself and 2) being willing to ask for help when needed.
Remember the airline analogy: Put your own oxygen mask on first. You can’t help someone else if you are passed out. This translates directly into our lives right now. Take care of your needs so that you can take care of others. Put on your mask! Not only does it protect you but it also protects others. What other self-care do you need right now? Is it finding a good book to read? Going for a walk? Taking a nice long bath? Getting up a little earlier so you have some alone time?
If you find yourself in a place where you are having trouble coping, do not be afraid to ask for help. I am here and seeing clients for online hypnotherapy. If I cannot help you, I can help you find someone who can or maybe an online support group. You do not have to go through this alone. You could arrange for you and a friend (or group of friends) to have a weekly zoom call. Meet up with masks and social distancing outdoors.
Let’s look at this challenging situation and see what we can learn from it that will help us going forward.
Personal transformation through hypnotherapy offers an effective, comfortable and drug free choice for dealing with stress and anxiety, managing weight, changing habits, improving health, and achieving self-development goals. To schedule a free, private online consultation please call 1-818-929-4944.