While most people would agree that getting too low is not conducive to good health or the ability to be productive in modern life, I would argue that being too high produces similar results. Anytime one emotion is out of proportion to all the others, we can steer our boats into dangerous waters without realizing it!
When we suffer extreme melancholy or depression, our senses become dulled. Everything around us looks drab and tasteless. Regardless of the situation or of potentially new situations, our outlook is one of hopelessness and, often, death. Our body hurts. Our mind hurts. We find it difficult to motivate ourselves to do anything routine or positive.
I know. I've been there.
However, when we become too high or ridiculously happy, we're setting the stage for problems just as well. When the whole world looks like a pearl, we often don't want to deal with tough situations that arise. Hey, we say, leave that for another day! But, by not dealing with circumstances when they are small and manageable, we often wait until situations blow up in our faces. This tends to bring us back down to earth with a mighty thud and, for some, swing the pendulum back toward depression and melancholy.
The best way to avoid this ping pong of emotions is to aim for a state of being that is between too high and too low. For me, I call this state of being, contentment. A content person is one who is accepting of all circumstances that may come his or her way. This is not to say that I may like or prefer each circumstance as much as another, but I realize that good and bad touches each life and mine is no different.
The content person expresses joy and sadness like anyone else, but stays away from the out of proportion extremes. By staying near the even keel, the contented individual is better able to deal with all situations that this life has to offer.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
When we suffer extreme melancholy or depression, our senses become dulled. Everything around us looks drab and tasteless. Regardless of the situation or of potentially new situations, our outlook is one of hopelessness and, often, death. Our body hurts. Our mind hurts. We find it difficult to motivate ourselves to do anything routine or positive.
I know. I've been there.
However, when we become too high or ridiculously happy, we're setting the stage for problems just as well. When the whole world looks like a pearl, we often don't want to deal with tough situations that arise. Hey, we say, leave that for another day! But, by not dealing with circumstances when they are small and manageable, we often wait until situations blow up in our faces. This tends to bring us back down to earth with a mighty thud and, for some, swing the pendulum back toward depression and melancholy.
The best way to avoid this ping pong of emotions is to aim for a state of being that is between too high and too low. For me, I call this state of being, contentment. A content person is one who is accepting of all circumstances that may come his or her way. This is not to say that I may like or prefer each circumstance as much as another, but I realize that good and bad touches each life and mine is no different.
The content person expresses joy and sadness like anyone else, but stays away from the out of proportion extremes. By staying near the even keel, the contented individual is better able to deal with all situations that this life has to offer.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
It is certainly wise to have a strong feel of the center.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that came from my own lows of teenage years and 2 events since then are to never make decisions while sad. Always ask others to give you the time to recenter before making any choices.
This is because when you inevitably recenter you do not want to find yourself on a path that came of sadness, or a path chosen when in the heat of a happy moment either (think all the failures of those who marry too quick, make an impulse purchase..).
It makes for a far more solid path if you make decisions when you know yourself to be at center - as the future is built from how we handle right now.
Yes, I really think it cuts both ways. When really happy, most of us have a tendency to underestimate potential difficulties and to skim over possible pitfalls.
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