Handling The Opposite of Ideal Moments

Sep 8

Last week I shared my favorite ideal moments and how they differ from ideal days.

I've found myself in a very different state this week.

It's unrealistic to expect an ideal life. We incorporate ideal moments, strategize our ideal days, and choose joy whenever possible.

But there are also moments, days, and even seasons that we cannot plan or course correct. Though we can always control our reactions, we must also honor them and their corresponding emotions.

We went in depth on “negative” emotions in my recent guest appearance on the Mind Body Soul Show. The topic was “Manifesting: How To Get Anything You Want,” and while conventional manifesting wisdom encourages us to pivot and “reach for the thought that feels good,” I've learned that we must first process our emotions. If we don't, they'll forever live inside of us, dragging us down and even block our manifestations.

Over the past few days, I've been working through a stressful situation regarding a client project. I'm stressed, they're stressed, the other vendors involved are stressed, and there's nothing we can do. We're playing a waiting game; we actually have to wait for something to process before we can move forward.

I like to live in a world of solutions, so I tend to over act. If there's anything I can think to do that could conceivably help, it's getting done.

When I reach the end of my task list with an unresolved situation, it's unnerving.

But, unfortunately, when we're experiencing a not so ideal day, that's what we're asked to do: sit with whatever “it” is and wait it out.

Be present with how we feel, acknowledge there's nothing we can do, accept the situation, and release it.

(Coincidentally, the waiting part in manifestation is also the part that I suck at. 🙃)

Oftentimes there's a lesson, even if it's simply patience or acceptance.

Only when the next step reveals itself or we feel called to take action is when we move forward.

But I really struggled with this over the weekend. I was pressured and my mind was on overdrive trying to find a way to move forward. But there's nothing to be done; we can only wait.

I've realized that one of my recurring “negative” emotions is stress, and I know I'm being led to release pent up stress from the past, reduce my future stress by planning my schedule based on energy and not time availability, and to handle stressful situations with more acceptance, presence, and release.

Because I've been in a high stress state for days, I know I need to recover. I'm feeling a cold coming on, and though I have quite the robust immune system, it tends to get compromised when I'm overstressed.

Nobody wants to get sick, but I'll accept it if it happens. I've noticed that the severity of your sickness correlates to what you do and don't do in the days you start feeling off, so I've taken a pre-sick day, allowing myself to unwind from the stress, catch up on what I wasn't able to accomplish over the weekend, and hopefully reduce the potential sickness.

My Pre-Sick Day Plan

1. Clean house

→ A messy house stresses me out, and I appreciate being able to pop dirty dishes in the dishwasher and dirty clothes in the hamper when I'm sick so they're out of sight and not contributing to a backlog I should have dealt with earlier. I caught up on dishes and laundry, put things away, fed my sourdough starter, and emptied the cat boxes so everyone has a fresh foundation.

2. Bring up pre-made soups from the basement pantry

→ I'm starting to eat simple soups now to shift the energy my body spends on digestion to busting sick bugs. It also reduces the mental load of deciding what to eat - and the energy of having to make it.

3. Boost my immunity

→ Last night I pulled out my garlic honey and zinc supplements for Shelby, who is currently full-blown sick, which I also started taking. We later sat in the sun with our bare feet on the grass for half an hour, and I planned an evening bath. I also intend to use my neti pot.

Bonus: Cancel upcoming fitness classes

→ Normally I'd have held my reservations longer to wait and see how I'm feeling, but I'm consciously giving myself extra time to rest - and reducing the mental fatigue of going back-and-forth on that decision.

Resting is hard, but I'm accepting that that's what I need.

Which is how to handle the opposite of ideal days: Acceptance, presence, and allowing yourself to change plans, take care of yourself, or incorporate some ideal moments.

How do you handle the opposite of an ideal moment, day, season?

What are your top sickness busting tips? I'm always looking to expand my arsenal!