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A Letter from the Boss (Editorial) - Recovering From Trauma
Originally Published 2.28.02
When bad things happen, have you noticed that they seem to happen all at once, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Sort of like those days where you seem to catch every red light on your way to work, and nothing seems to go your way. None are immune to this potential, our lives can be changed in an instant, particularly in this day and age. When we undergo a traumatic event, it has an effect not only on our finances and our health, but also on our psychological outlook.
There is a saying in Taoism, which can be useful in such situations. We say "What you focus on grows." What this means is that if you are having a bad day due to something that happens early in the day, you have the ability to create further bad situations in your life by assuming the mindset that "this day sucks."
What you focus on grows, whether it is recipricating negative emotions that you received from others, or simply thinking about how unfair life can be. The more you entertain these ideas, the more potential they have to ruin your day further. This is also true in truly traumatic events.
When dealing with others, we sometimes say "It's not the reality, but the perception that matters." This is important to understand when training to deal with conflict and confrontation. You have the ability to make a situation resolve itself. You have the ability to make a bad situation worse.
The fact of the matter is that words mean things. What we say, both out loud and with our inner voice can have a dramatic effect on our perceptions, inhibitions, and perceived limitations.
Now traumatic events can be life-changing, and can take a great deal of time from which to recover. It is very important, however, to mainain a productive, healthy, positive outlook, and realize how fortunate you truly are.
Study This.
- Anthony Sell
Feb. 28, 2002