Just when you thought that the Universe was offering you are break!

Well, hasn't this been the story of my 2022 experience.

Just when I thought that the Universe was offering me a bit of a break, I get sick two weeks in a row, bills are piling up, I've had to cancel events due to being sick and a few things planned for next year are not going ahead.

So how do I react?

I do what I normally do - swear a lot, tell myself that I am not handling things well, look at the mistakes I have made and consider myself totally stupid and not capable of organising meat at a butcher's picnic.

Then I go have a cup of coffee and settle down.

I draw a few cards (when I am sensible) and look into their meaning.

Not always, but sometimes, this strategy just makes me stop blaming myself in a very irrational way and helps me to understand my part in the situations I am facing.

I discover that:

I have played a part in most of them turning out the way they have.

I have over committed for fear of missing out.

I have not seen the opportunity for what it really was going to offer me.

I have not finished off work that should have been done.

I have tried to be something that I am not.

It's still hard to deal with and I still go to bed feeling sorry for myself.

It's human nature to feel like this and in the end this is just LIFE.

Nothing is ever guaranteed to work perfectly.

Living by past experiences makes us a walking time bomb waiting for the next trigger to bring up those same hurts over and over again.

Being triggered to react in the same way you have done in the past is like going on automatic.

You go straight into anger, fear, defence, self sabotage etc, etc.

Sometimes you do not even stop yourself to consider what it really is you are going through in this very moment.

You just react.

It's a way of saying... JUST STOP THIS HAPPENING TO ME - I CAN'T DEAL WITH IT.

An emotional trigger is anything — including memories, experiences, or events — that sparks an intense emotional reaction, regardless of your current mood.

Emotional triggers are associated with PTSD.

Knowing what your emotional triggers are (and how to deal with them) is a key component of good emotional health. Emotional health is important for us to make good decisions and not to over react in situations that trigger those high levels of anxiety and stress.

Remember that when you feel the trigger happening you will undoubtedly have a hard time in controlling your reaction to a current situation so step back, wait, breathe, consider and become clear before you act.

It will save a lot of heartache for you if you do,

Meanwhile,

I'll be using a lot of white out/erasure as I replan my 2023 diary and wonder what new things will fill up those now empty dates.