Some things have lined up, dare I say, conspired, to increase the pressure recently. That is part of life, especially when you aspire to higher ambitions. It’s easy to lose your balance when you reach for the sky.
I am fortunate to know enough about self-hypnosis to keep me relaxed and collected. The old me would have bent long ago.
Still, even mindful breathing and deep trance relaxation have their limits. Sometimes you feel the pressure building anyway.
And you feel that delicious urge to do something stupid.
To lash out at anyone who helps you and burn your life to the ground.
Or just break out and enjoy losing your conscious mind to a rising tide of unpleasant emotions.
As tempting as it may be …
You always have an alternative.
Now, I have to say: this is not medical advice. I am not qualified to give it, and no one is qualified to do it en masse in article format. These things are worth talking to a professional about.
That said, we come up with an alternative.
Here’s a little maneuver you can execute the next time you look down and realize you’re standing on the edge …
Get into a trance. That will only help. Even if it doesn’t create distance from stress and emotions (although it probably will), it will open you up to new ways of processing them.
That’s nothing.
And it’s just the beginning.
Because in this trance, you can ask yourself a simple question:
“What would it do for me to have a breakdown?”
Will it catch your eye?
Forcing people to take their concerns seriously?
Take it away from it all for a moment?
When you’re honest with yourself, the kind of honesty that comes out of a trance, you won’t hesitate to learn what you need right now. The last minute nuclear option. Your mind is willing to tear your life apart to get this benefit, so you better know what you are buying.
And later …?
Well, that is usually enough. When you know what you need, you can probably find a smarter way to get it.
It’s hilarious – it satisfies that need, even in a small way, and it’s like the world is lowering the pressure. When nothing works, this works anyway.
No wonder if you think about it.
But it is always surprising to experience it.
There is the old Stoic wisdom that says you can’t always change your circumstances … but you can change the way you react to them. This is on steroids: choosing a better way than losing your cool.
Again, this is not medical advice. Even if it is, don’t follow the medical advice of strangers on the Internet. But this may help you rethink certain things about your mind.