Full disclosure – I’m having a blue day. No reason I can come up with – ok, maybe one. And it’s not helping that I am beating myself up about it – feeling frustrated (and disappointed) with myself about feeling blue.

When does the teeter of sadness shift to the totter of joy?
Where is the tipping point? How do we find it?

Maybe it starts with one thought, one step, one shift ……
But then, maybe it is more than that. Maybe it’s all of them, or the cascade of them or the series of them or the intermittent tip tap of them. Is it one thing or a combo-pack that occurs? Is it one-a-day or a year’s supply all at once?

Life can feel overwhelming at times. Even with all the tools we’ve got, sometimes we feel stuck or afraid, unsure or just sad. Sometimes it doesn’t appear reasonable or logical. And, maybe in the moment, it doesn’t matter why.

The truth is, we get to choose how we feel.

We can feel the emotion and then judge it (I’m so bad, I should know better, I’m an adult, what’s wrong with me, blah, blah, blah) – and jump on the hamster wheel of self-reproach.

We can allow ourselves to just sit with it and experience how we feel.
And when this is done with compassion – without judgement – it can be an effective way to honour ourselves and feel relief.

Another option is to gently shift our focus by taking one step, making one move, doing one new thing – or doing something differently. Engaging with one new action that takes us in the direction of something positive or new can help us feel more connected, free, present and powerful (we did make a choice, after all). And by taking one new action step in the direction of something positive or new….. we can feel more productive and capable, which leads to a more positive outlook.

In my case – it was to reach out, write this blog and share this experience. And, yes, I do feel better, lighter and seem to be breathing more fully.

So, maybe it doesn’t matter whether the tipping point is one thing, a few things or an avalanche of things. As long as we keep getting up in the morning, putting on clean underpants and taking that first step. That one will lead to the next one and then then next… it can even lead us toward a new connection or path that was there all along. Teeter Totter