I always say that if I had to summarize what I’ve learned over the years, it would probably be something like this:
Don’t take yourself so seriously.
I can add:
Don’t take anything so seriously.
It helps me and my clients a lot. Whenever you’re having a hard time, ask yourself:
“Am I taking myself too seriously here?”
“How can I see this situation from a more lighthearted perspective?”
“Can I take a step back and detach from the catastrophic thoughts I’m having right now and move on?”
In the end, that catastrophic situation you’re thinking about is just a movie in your head. You may not be able to change the movie, but you can remind yourself that you’re only a spectator and that you are not the main character of the movie, even though you may often think so.
Life is hard when you forget to laugh.
Some have said that laughter is the best medicine. It’s always available, no matter the situation. We can always see a situation from a more lighthearted perspective. Always. We just forget to do it, or we don’t give it a try.
I know what I’m saying is hard to apply. When we are upset, life feels like the most serious thing, but I’m sorry to break it to you: it’s not. Just because it feels like it doesn’t mean that it is. It’s just our feelings. It’s just our story. And we have the ability to change it. We have the ability to play with it and see it from a different perspective. You can see it as a drama, or you can see the comedy in it. Which one do you prefer? Instead of answering this question in your head, try to play with both options and experience what I just said. Only then should you decide whether to believe what I’ve written or not.