Through the Looking Glass

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."                    - Ralph Waldo Emerson

With every new day comes a whole new pile of unknowns and possible obstacles. If life didn't have the unanticipated moment of panic it would be both mundane and stagnant. Our society thinks, and acts progressively because of our innate response to obstacles set in our path, using them to learn from and adapt, rather than remain sitting ducks.

However, while our intentions might always be to take the positives out of obstacles, sometimes our emotions get the better of us before we have time to react. Before you know it our minds our spinning out of control. When this happens, one of two things can be done:

a) we can submit to the panic and run around like chickens with our heads chopped off.

or

b)  we can hit the reset button.

 In my experience, the best way to handle these situations is always b) but how do we reset when our minds have gone so out of control? Something that I started doing a long time ago, at first I think it was subconsciously and then became habit, was to go to a place where I felt like the world would just stop for a minute and I could think. When I was younger, this place was the rope swing in my front yard. Now, obviously the stresses of a preteen/early teenage girl are very pressing, but none the less spending 10 minutes outside on the swing by myself allowed me to reset, to gather control of my thoughts and think clearly.

As I got older, and eventually had my license-this place became my car. Something about driving, mindlessly listening to music and staring at the open road with no real destination or reason for the trip in the car, other than to clear my head. Sometimes I think the best way to get back on track, is to step outside of your world for a minute. Try and look at whats bothering you, without all of the outside influences, without the suggestions or interpretations and just find out for yourself what is important and how you want to handle it.

Whether your aware of it or not, I bet almost everyone inadvertently has their own place to go when  stressed or something has their mind spinning in circles. Once you find out what that place is, it becomes a lot easier to confront your problems head on, and you'll look for the time when you can escape to that special place and seek out your own clarity.