After the Storm, A New Beginning

A steady rain pounded my car as I sat in traffic. A very dark cloud loomed in the distance, and I feared the worst part of the storm was yet to come. If sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic isn’t stressful enough for a worrywart, then just add lots of rain and a pending storm into the mix!

I called my mother to complain. “Traffic is horrible! It’s raining, and there’s a dark cloud moving this way!”

“Calm down,” my mom said. “It’ll be okay.”

“But that cloud looks very bad, and there’s nowhere for me to go,” I panicked.

“It’ll be okay,” my mom assured me again. “Stop stressing. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

She was right, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Inch by inch my car crawled along the interstate. As long as I was moving, there was a chance I could make it home before the storm hit. Unfortunately, the bottom fell out before I even got to my exit. Sheets of rain made it difficult to see the road and the cars in front of me, and I gripped the steering wheel for dear life.

Fortunately, many pop-up summer showers and storms don’t last for very long, and before I knew it, traffic sped up as I drove out of the storm. I got off at my exit and as I crossed the bridge, I saw a beautiful sight: a rainbow streaking across the sky. Nothing to worry about after all! If I hadn’t been through a rough commute, I wouldn’t have been rewarded by such a beautiful sight!

The actual rainbow I saw on my commute!

But isn’t that what many of us do from time to time? We stress ourselves out in the moment, not able to see the situation clearly for the rain, only to come out of it okay and wish we had enjoyed the moment more. I know I do this all the time!

Actually, I’ve done that many times this year. And I can assure you, just because I haven’t found much time to write on my blog this year, doesn’t mean I’m cured of worrying (I wish!).

In fact, I’m going to have a bit more to worry about soon: a son. That’s right! My husband and I are expecting our first child! So far I’ve been fairly relaxed as a pregnant worrywart (which has surprised me greatly!), but there have been times when I’ve wondered/worried about certain pains, how the baby is doing, and labor and delivery. It all can be very scary when I really think about it, but I’m trying to focus on all the positives like seeing my son for the first time! If I believe, maybe - just maybe - there will be a rainbow after the storm!

Hello 2013, Good-bye Worries!

It’s a new year. And you know what that means. Time for a new start! A chance to leave all of my worries behind in the previous year!

But what about the bump on my leg? And the pain in my side? And all of the psychos in the world? And what about...?

As you can tell, the New Year didn’t bring me relief from my worries. Unfortunately, I can’t just snap my fingers and dismiss them because it’s a new year. But what I am proud of is the fact that I did decrease my worrying last year. Yes, I did worry about a bump on my leg and the occasional pain, but I didn’t dwell on my worries as much. Once I started to fret, I told myself everything was okay and there was nothing to worry about. Also, while continuing to practice imagery techniques, I reminded myself that worrying and stress wouldn’t help and would only lead to actual health problems. And I didn’t want real problems to worry about! :-)

Our cat, Mickey!

The New Year did bring my husband and me something - or someone - to worry about. We adopted a kitten! So, as you can probably guess, my concerns have slightly shifted to the cat. What if he doesn’t stop sneezing? What if he has a parasite? What if he’s really not a purebred Siberian and I’m allergic to him? (Okay. So that last one kind of has to do with me. We searched for a Siberian because they supposedly produce fewer allergens, but turns out, we don’t think we were told the truth concerning his breed.) So how am I handling these potential concerns? Well...er....I have to admit that my initial reaction was to think the worst. But coming up with a plan of action for each question has helped me to move on and concentrate on other things like this blog. For example, since Mickey keeps sneezing, I plan to call the vet in the morning. And what if he has a parasite? Well, the vet will know what to do about that, too, if that is even the case. And if we end up being allergic to him, then we have pet wipes that help to keep him clean and reduce the dander. For now, that’s all I can do, right?

And for all of you worrywarts out there, I recommend you read, “I Kill Me: Tales of a Jilted Hypochondriac” by Tracy H. Tucker. A fellow worrywart recommended the novel to me about a month ago, and the protagonist made me laugh - at myself. The female lead thought she had all of these ailments, and it was eye-opening to see her reacting as if the sky were falling. It reminded me things aren’t always as bad as you first believe.

‘Till next time, don’t you worry about a thing (and I’ll try to follow my own advice)!