Today, one of my plans fell through.
I can’t identify the plan on this blog, but it doesn’t matter. It was something I wanted and it’s not going to happen. End of story.
Normally when something like this happens, I have a pretty scripted response. I freak out. In order to circumvent the cycle of disappointment and self-blame that my brain is about to initiate, I turn off my brain and turn on my mouth. I talk non-stop about went wrong. I follow my husband from room to room, babbling at him. As soon my husband appears to have reached the breaking point, I call my mother and talk to her for hours. I “casually” mention the thing that’s been bothering me to friends, thereby hijacking all conversation with my worries.
All of this is a desperate attempt to convince myself that I:
a) did the right thing
b) didn’t do the wrong thing
c) am not a bad person/irresponsible/ failure at life
d) should not blame myself
Usually all of this frenzied talking does nothing to make me feel any better. Usually it means I spend far too much time dwelling on the problem. I fret, I lose sleep, I don’t write, and despite all the reassuring evidence I’ve marshaled to prove to myself that I am not a failure, I end up feeling like one.
It’s really about the worst coping strategy a girl could want.
So I am not doing it anymore.
One of my resolutions this year is to be a calmer person. This evening, to cope with my disappointment, I’m trying something different.
As soon as I got the bad news, I went downstairs and found my husband. We talked about our goals for this year and for the next ten years. After looking at our goals for the next several years, it turns out that one setback in 2011 is just a blip on the radar screen. It’s not worth worrying about, because we have bigger fish to fry.
I have huge goals for this year alone: I plan to finish my novel. I plan to publish at least one story in a literary magazine. I’m applying for fellowships. I’m going to try to publish a novelette this year. By the end of 2011, I hope to have at least made a dollar off my creative writing. I’m building a list of agents to query when the first draft of my novel is complete. I plan to get my website set up. And most importantly, I will graduate this summer with my Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing.
Those are just the writing-related goals. I think they’re all feasible, and the fact that I can reasonably achieve all that makes any setback seem minuscule.
Now I’m kicking back with some hot chocolate and writing this blog post. I haven’t even called my mother.*
*To be completely accurate (and because I know she does read this blog sometimes) I did spend an hour and a half talking to her this afternoon. But not about this.
Remember, it’s not the problem that gets you down; it’s the way you cope with it. Hot chocolate is a good start. I always add a good laugh and a nasty journal entry about the person/entity/thing/beast/concept/idea that caused the situation. Then I write a humorous essay about it and sell the essay. What better revenge could a girl want?
You know, I don’t think there’s any revenge better than selling a piece of writing.
So glad you found my blog!
As someone who stresses out way too much about way too little…I love the tip to look immediately at the big picture…put it in perspective. And on that note…I am off to make myself some hot chocolate!
It works! I mean, it’s only been a few hours, but I’m kind of amazed at how helpful it’s been to look at the big picture.
Normally, by this point in the evening, I would be watching a playlist of YouTube relaxation vids to calm myself down. Instead I’m finishing up some work and heading to bed.
Enjoy your hot chocolate and thanks for reading!
Sorry you had a tough day. Or a tough moment. Or a tough whatever. If you do decide that you need to calmly freak out, you can always call me. I will listen. I hope this doesn’t get you down for too long.
Thank you, Erin.
I don’t think I will need to talk. Not about this. I’m feeling calm, and strangely centered. I think that just looking at my goals realistically and accepting the fact that I can’t control everything has helped a lot.
Thank you for the offer (and by the way, now that you’ve offered, if I do need to talk, I will totally call.)