I think its obvious by now how ‘observant’ I tend to be because I always seem to make reference to things I’ve realised days leading up to our #ThursdayThoughts posts. What I’ve been seeing lately is checking in on your ‘strong’ friends. I’ll tell you this; I’m that friend - the one who’s bubbly and positive all the time, and I guess who people think has it all together all the time. The past couple days have not been all sunshine and rainbows because Murphy’s Law was working overtime!
Your word for today (or phrase rather): MURPHY’S LAW
Unless you’re a psychology major I don’t think this is something you would necessarily know. I’ve had these positivity draughts before, where I felt horrible, was anxious and nothing seemed to go right ! It wasn’t until I was listening to one of Les Brown’s videos I found out that there’s a term for this feeling.
-Excuse me while I visit my trusted friend Google for a definition for you-
Urgh, Google was being too technical about their definitions today. Basically Murphy’s Law states that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Now putting this into context doesn’t mean that is has to be a ‘physical’ thing that goes wrong.
My whatever can go wrong, is the one bad thought my mind creates for no reason. Its truly downhill from there and it’s a process to get back to me, which can sometimes take a few days.
Tuesday was STRESSFUL. I’d been in the LRC from 9:00 to about 18:30 (with breaks [distractions] every now and again, obvi) doing some reading and listening to a lecture for my 2,000 word coursework. At some point, I could feel myself getting tired, but I was determined to finish my research and at least write my introduction. Long story short, because I didn’t complete the introduction before leaving the LRC, the overthinking bunny in my head began pushing its way through the bolted double door in my mind. In the short time between leaving the library, heading to Sainsbury’s to get something to eat and getting on the bus, I got some messages from home which put my overthinking bunny into overdrive. I mean this gal knocked down the door and headed straight for me. WHEWWWWW
Nonetheless I made it to a prayer meeting which I planned on going to anyway. I was on my phone checking messages from home quite frequently and failed to be completely present at the prayer meeting, because of that stupid bunny. Towards the end of the meeting, one of the members from church prayed for me and she prayed for my comfort for being away from home, family, friends and being homesick [fyi: I didn’t tell her I was feeling home sick. But God ! Listennnnn. On the bus ride to the prayer meeting all I could think about was going home.]
And then to top it all off, I said something to a friend of mine which I didn’t think was that serious until another friend told me it was. By then, the bunny had made its way to my heart and it was doing laps. So now not only am I overthinking, but my heart is racing, and I have butterflies in my tummy. Basically, classic case of Form 5 anxiety.
I didn’t address this straight away, because to be fair I WAS DRAINED. I didn’t have the mental strength to say positive things to myself or any of my usual mannerisms. Got up yesterday still feeling anxious about nothing. I ended up staying in bed late, had cupcakes for breakfast, went back to bed and started listening to Gospel and singing atthe top of my lungs (one of my flatmates who was home even messaged during one song, telling me she loved that song). When I felt like I should be doing something productive, instead of thinking about my coursework which I’m still at zero words for, I grabbed the book of the month which I needed to catch up on. Eventually, I fell asleep AGAIN. (I KNOWWWW).
When I got up from that nap, my heart was no longer racing, there was no flutter in my belly, and I was ready to do some graphics on Canva for some upcoming events (productive but fun and mind clearing). I needed this do nothing day. From then, it’s been going uphill (but I’ll get to Yhprum’s Law in a minute).
You see, the thing I’ve realised (which is obvious) is that if we don’t address our feelings (like homesickness) when the overthinking bunny worms its way into your head, the results are not pretty. Addressing feelings is all part of self-care. You’re not caring for yourself if you allow yourself to be numb all the time. You’re not caring for yourself if you create unrealistic expectations for yourself or people around you.
To get back to who you are, you may need a mental health day, to basically do nothing but address your feelings and try to get out of the slump. It could be all you need is some retail therapy [maybe not the best choice for your bank account, but it works for some people], maybe catching up with a friend, having some serious quiet time with God, singing at the top of your lungs, or dancing it out. Anything that makes you get back to YOU is exactly what you need.
Okay, back to the previously mentioned Yhprum’s Law. This is, to simply put it, the direct opposite of Murphy’s Law – in spelling AND meaning. Yhprum’s Law states that “everything that can work, will work”. To reiterate, it doesn’t have to be something physical that has to go right. Getting your mind back on track, to me is the best form of Yhprum’s Law. Because then, you start to think positive, attract the right type of energy (and news), and you start to feel like yourself again.
Being in the best frame of mind is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
Overthinking and anxiety is not fun and honestly, should not be romanticised like it is today.
To anyone who has these periods of overthinking to the point of no return and struggles with anxiety, find comfort in knowing you can get out of the rut with time, patience and understanding what works for you.
This post is at the beginning of a new month and first perfectly to our new month affirmation.
Take care of yourselves my lovely Unicorns.
--Your favourite Unicorn
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