As part of my “real” job I co-facilitate some groups. I’m not a counselor – my duties are varied. But I learn – oh, how I sometimes learn – if the class participants think it is painful for THEM . . . well, it can be painful for the facilitators as well.
😉
One of the things we tell them is that they need to work their program – in simple terms we all need to be self-aware and deal with the everyday things in a proper manner. It does us little or no good to become upset or worried when things happen around us over which we have no control.
thus -we work our program. I’ve noticed some changes in me since I began the job – driving along the highway and getting cut off – yesterday I caught myself saying out loud “you can handle this – breathe – you’re fine – 1 – 2 – 3 . . . ” etc. I self-soothed.
I won’t minimize anything here by saying I never come unglued – or that I have never lost my temper. I have – but I am learning that it’s okay – I can handle these things – I know how to soothe myself.
😉
for instance – the mangy little dog next door that keeps yapping outside my office window – ohhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmm – breathe – I can handle this. (the fact that the texasusedtobes insisted on putting the dog run in between our houses instead of on the other side of their house where there is a vacant lot that THEY own . . . breathe, moosie. You can handle this, too.)
yap, yap, yap, bark, bark, bark . . .
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sigh.