When Dread is on the Schedule
Some days start with a great good mood. You woke up feeling pretty good, got your coffee, traffic was not stupid, and maybe your hair is cooperating. And then the bottom falls out and pops your bubble. A sneak attack!
Then there are the days you already lost sleep over, you counted down to like a death march, and wish you could skip to 6 o’clock that night and not have to deal with at all. Days when you have a scheduled situation that fills you with anticipation and anxiety, scary days with feelings of fear of what may happen or sadness for what you know is going to happen. In animal welfare and animal medicine, we know that these days come too frequently. And no, there is no cure for what our natural emotions do in reaction. But we can mentally prepare ourselves a bit beforehand to help us digest what is going through our heads and hearts in a way that is part of an ongoing healing and needed protective process to keep us from falling into a pit of sadness cannot crawl out of.
These days highlight what is hardest for an animal person to manage, loss of control and loss of power to make change. Hard enough to mentally manage these things when it is only something about ourselves but because an animal is also affected, it feels impossible to hold ourselves together.
The simple mind tweak is, tell yourself, and maybe say it out loud (actually I think hearing yourself talk is incredibly helpful), “this will be a rough day”. This is a day out of my control in many ways. I will be sad (mad, afraid) and this is how anyone would feel in this situation. It is okay to feel what I will feel. To get through this I have to walk through reality and real emotions. Others there may be going through the same feelings (if so, say their names out lout too) and we will be each other’s guardians. I always do my best in things I can control and will do that today. I am still me. I will always know I did my best and another situation will show me a happier outcome.
Depending on the situation you may find breaking the day down in small timeframes can mentally ease you through the day. Maybe schedule a small meditative break between things; promise yourself a small walk outside or sit in your car and close your eyes and listen to your breathing, or maybe plan something for that evening that suits a way you wish to wind down, blow off steam. Maybe visualize that planned “treat” as you start your day or as the day is moving along, something to mentally keep you dropping to your knees.
What are your experiences with these days and how have you managed them, good or bad? Please feel free to share!
Till next time,
From one Heart to another,
~Sandra