Feeling the Flow, Rolling with the Punches
I didn’t have a great day at work today and it may have been the worst day I’ve had in some time.
Work is great, but the reality is that we only work because we have to. Sure, I’d still be doing what I do because I love what I do, but many, dare I say the vast majority, would exit the workforce to pursue a higher purpose, given the choice.
So just as work is essentially a mandate from society, so to are the skills we must develop to bear said mandate, or the society that birthed it. It becomes necessary for us to have a way to decompress. It’s funny because, just as I was challenged today, many of the clients I’ve been speaking with lately have been experiencing similar difficulties. I’ve been reviewing Distress Tolerance skills for the past two weeks it seems, helping people work the acronyms, make flash cards, and all that.
As I drove home today, trying to piece it all together for myself, I thought back to a session I had a few days ago. The client felt the wind of change breeze through them and something clicked as we went through a worksheet. I reviewed the discussion because I had forgotten the very lesson I had just been imparting to another.
Sometimes it’s good to remind oneself to practice what one preaches. As I sat at work today, all I wanted to do was come home and write something. This piece. Well, not this piece in particular. The one I had in mind at that time was much darker and far less optimistic. But I’ve since found perspective in my own words and in the words of Marsha Linehan, creator of DBT.
As I sit here and type away, I can feel the medication take effect, relaxing my body and spirit. Tomorrow will come with new challenges. Leave today’s here; don’t carry it with you. Be your best self in every moment. Soothe with the senses and find a path through. It had always been there. You just have to allow yourself to walk it.
I feel better now. Thanks for reading.