Give Equal Airtime To Best Case Scenarios
I heard the words “This hell hole of an arena is all your making Melody,” and I was thrust to the ground.
It was dark all around me. I was dressed in leather clothing that was half shredded. Every limb of my body ached in pain. My heart was heavy. My mind was depressed and depleted.
I searched my brain for context but I couldn’t pull on any memories to figure out where I was. I looked around. Darkness enveloped me. Even though I couldn't see anything I “knew” that I was in New York City, a decimated and destroyed city that had nothing left to offer.
Then it hit me, I was straddling two worlds. That world between dreamland and full consciousness. I was coming out of a powerful dream that had left my body in a state near paralysis. But I felt a deep sense of heaviness that I couldn’t shake off the closer I inched back to reality. I struggled to remember what had happened in my dream but the details escaped me. All I knew was darkness, destruction of NYC, depression, and the clear voice resonating in my head saying “This hell hole of an arena is all your making Melody.” (WTH?)
We had just finished watching the TV series Gotham the night before, an American action crime drama based on DC Comics characters in which Gotham city’s destruction was a frequent theme. I suspected it was another dream mixing Gotham characters with COVID-19 realities in NYC which had occasionally been happening lately but not this intensely. 😉 The message at the end was something different. It captured my attention. And the after effect of this dream was awful. I was pinned to my bed and felt heavy and terrible. And how did I shake this awful feeling? I sat with it for a while breathing into it and lying in discomfort.
Since I was in a state of paralysis, the only thing I had control over were my thoughts. I remembered Brooke Castillo’s guidance that if we are going to give airtime to our negative thoughts (ex. worst case scenarios, fears and frustrations), we should give equal airtime to positive thoughts (ex. best case scenarios, hopes and dreams). Clearly my subconscious had gone down the rabbit hole of doomsday creating thoughts that had left me feeling so badly I could barely move!
Working with the knowledge that thoughts create our feelings and feelings are simply vibrations in our body, I started imagining myself a superhero that shines light on all of NYC. 🦸♀️ I imagined myself pulling strength from the roots of trees and saving the city from annihilation. These thoughts made me feel courageous, strong, and confident. A plot worthy of DC comics! I don’t remember further details from my best case scenario thoughtwork but it did the trick. The story I visualized created positive feelings in my body which lifted the discomfort and shook off the paralysis that had me pinned to the bed. This all happened in a matter of minutes. It was amazing to feel the effect.
I was unable to fall back to sleep after this episode - it was too powerful. So I spent the next hour deep breathing and following my breath. I practiced being present and reminded myself that all was well. That I had a roof over my head, a job, health, a family, friends, community, love, etc. I haven’t been consciously fretting much about COVID-19, but the anxiety must have been building in my subconscious as I read the news with more frequency and watched unhealthy doomsday TV shows like Gotham for entertainment before going to bed. Maybe this is why the voice said “This hell hole of an arena is all your making Melody.”
The takeaway is that many things may feel like they are out of our control in our lives right now. The virus, your job, the government, other people’s actions, the schools, etc. But you always have control of how you think and what you choose to make things mean, and as a result how you feel. Your thoughts create your feelings, not the external circumstances in the world.
If you’ve caught “Corona Brain” as Brooke Castillo calls it, where you focus on all the terrible things that are or could go wrong, make sure you also give equal airtime to all the things that are or could go right. If you are going to imagine doomsday, then also imagine how it could turn out to be amazing as well. Even better try to stay in the present. You are here for a purpose. If you struggle to be in the present focus on your breath, inhaling into your belly and taking loooong exhales. This life, in all its beauties and sorrows.
For example, in attempt to see things through a positive lens, I am choosing to believe that this global shared experience will bring the world together. It will help highlight our shared humanity, how interconnected we are, and thus our shared responsibility to take care of our planet and each other. So much beauty will come out of that awareness. And I am thinking about what role I will play in making this happen in my communities. What skillsets do I have to enable this vision?
And for those of you who are like, yeah yeah, give me something more tangible to work with, my brain is still going bonkers thinking negative thoughts. I hear ya. First, give yourself some compassion as your brain is acting totally normal and then give it a project to FOCUS on. Give it a purpose. Put it to work. Personally, I like 30 day challenges. Pick something you will work on for 30 days straight. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do and never got around to it? Meditation? Daily journaling? Cooking? Cleaning out your closets? Sorting your photos? Check in on 5 people a day? Volunteer? Now is the time to do it and inspire others to do the same!
Sending love and light.
Melody
P.S. If you’ve got a goal you’ve been struggling to take action on, I can help you realize it. Set up a free consult and let’s get started. Live your life with intention, don’t wait for it to happen to you.
Photo Credit: By Daria Shevtsova (from Canva)