I woke up this morning and wanted to go back to bed.
Usually I can get by with 7 hours of sleep. Apparently not today.
So I did what I normally do, and set my alarm clock back a half hour. Still not enough. Another? Still no.
I slept 1.5 hours extra, in 1/2 hour increments.
Appointment time!
I only realized that I had forgotten a very important appointment when the person I was meeting called me up – to cancel. (Thank you, miraculous power outage!)
We’re rescheduling for later in the week. But what if that power outage hadn’t happened?
Sad Panda: Coming to an inbox near you.
There were a couple of emails I’d been anticipating highly over the last few days. They came in this morning. Both contained politely written sad news. This made me a Sad Panda, because I instantly saw how I could have positioned myself better to maybe get a yes (or at least a “Tell me more?”) answer.
Totally shot myself in the foot there.
Also, I have a headache.
Yup.
Pretty crappy day, eh?
And it’s only noon. I’m not sure what else can happen between now and the time I go to meet a friend for a science lecture tonight.
Crappy not only for me!
It seems like quite a few people are going through a bit of a fallow time right now.
(Insert poetic musings on death and rebirth here.)
I was having a pity party.
And nobody else came.
Then I turned on some music.
At first, it was pretty hard to dance. I don’t really feel like jumping up and down when my head is throbbing.
As the music played, it became a little easier. Then easier still. And by the end I was singing along with Paul McCartney.
And Chris Brogan’s email newsletter came in.
The one about giving your thoughts a voice, how to know when to jump ship, and dealing with critics.
And I had some tea!
By the time I finished the pot, I felt better.
It’s ok to feel bad sometimes.
Really.
Feeling bad tells you something about your direction.
If you’re not putting your time, energy, and attention into the projects that need you, badness is going to ensue.
What about your direction needs to change?
Feeling bad tells you something about your actions.
If you’re acting in a way that’s contrary to your principles, or if you’re doing the right thing for the wrong reason, badness is going to ensue.
What about your actions needs to change?
Feeling bad tells you something about your support systems.
If you’re not actively nurturing yourself, or if you engage in negative self-talk, or if you feel like you’re not supported, badness is going to ensue.
What about your support systems needs to change?
Or… feeling bad just tells you something about the times.
Everyone goes through a period of feeling bad, low, or generally miserable and fail-tastic just before a period of growth. This is the entire premise of The Dip.
If your support systems, actions, and direction are all aligned, maybe it’s just time to gather in your energy reserves and push through.
Dance.
Or have some tea. Or talk to a friend. Or take a walk.
Do something to support yourself, then figure out what’s missing for you.
You’ll be singing along with Paul McCartney in no time.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I like this.
Because sometimes feeling crappy is not going to go away today, and that’s totally okay, and even THEN we can survey our landscape and see what stuff has been neglected, and needs some tending, so we can wake up on time for once without a stupid headache (hello, all of October).
For me, feeling bad tells me something about all of your markers (my direction, my actions, my support systems) and ALSO my health (am I reaallllly taking care of myself??) and my mindset (am I letting my monkey brain bring the house down?).
Great post. Very cool.