Ah. Learning to maintain equilibrium. I know a thing or two about that.
I strive for balance, logic and wholeness each day. On the good days, I have some. On the tough days, things get skewed to one end or the other. My teeter-totter can make me fly or bang hard into the ground.
For even on some days where I have "balance," the balance comes from being really positive on one end and really negative on the other, all in the span of 24 hours. So I may have balance on that day, but with extremes in emotions, at what cost?
Equilibrium. There are some medications that can help. Mood stabilizers. Antidepressants. Depressants. Finding the balance of those things is tough, too. I was recently in a room full of folks suffering from wide mood swings. The cocktail of medications some of them had to take was complex. It was difficult to tell if the
meds were working. So yes, medications can
help, but they are not the complete answer.
I've mentioned before that I go to counseling. The length of time between visits has a lot to do with how balanced I feel. My counselor is great — she and I "fit" well as professional and patient, so talking with her gives me food for thought. Listening to her suggestions and trying some of them out gives me room to grow. I get a lot of help from her.
But ultimately, Dr.
Braceland is right on the money. The best hope for maintaining equilibrium lies within ourselves. We need to be aware of our thoughts, our actions. We need to seek the help we need. Then we need to take counsel with ourselves and follow our best prayers. For by maintaining equilibrium, we can move on to make sound decisions that make our lives — and the lives in our circle of humanity — fuller and more positive.
We get to spread the hope.
This is funny. My mom was so particular about how the dishwasher was loaded that I used to say I attended the "Emily Codispoti School of Dishwasher Loading." As a mother, I INSISTED that my kids load the dishwasher in the prescribed fashion. After I joined Flylady and learned that "housework done incorrectly still blesses the family, " I finally gave up being so particular. Now that I've loosened my grip on that task, I have all kinds of help with the dishes.
All my life I've shared a birthday. Either with my sister Janet (whose birthday was three days before mine). Or with Gail Kelly (whose birthday was two days after mine). Or with Thanksgiving Day. Or with my daughter Jeanne, who was born on my 27th birthday. As a rare treat, I get to have a birthday all to myself — like on my 50th. That one was a winner!
It's hard to remember this. But if I can, I tend to be much more compassionate.
