LOUISE GILBERT
Founder & Director
Are these monsters holding you back?
How to steer yourself through turbulent changes
What I’ve tuned into this week is pain.
So if you’re going through a difficult time, this one’s for you.
Maybe like some of my clients in the last week – you’re facing some big changes at work like restructuring or redundancy. Or big changes in an important relationship.
You may be feeling adrift, lost, and unsure of your direction in life. Perhaps the weight of difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions are dragging you down.
I’d like to share a perspective that might help. Watch this video in less than 5 minutes – or keep reading.
The analogy
Imagine your painful thoughts and emotions as monsters—the depression monster, the anxiety monster, and he anger monster.
While you’re adrift at sea in a boat, these monsters live beneath the deck.
They strike a deal with you:
They promise to stay hidden as long as you keep the boat aimlessly drifting. Not heading towards any particular destination.
However, this arrangement comes with a cost. You miss out on the great adventures and experiences waiting for you on the shore.
The moment you steer the boat towards the shore, the monsters emerge, shouting and screaming. They hold you back.
Or if you recognise the monsters can’t physically harm you, despite their roar – they’ll lose their power over you.
You may find you can keep your hands on the tiller – and sail towards the shore, pursuing your values and life goals. While allowing the monsters to do their thing.
In doing this, you may appreciate other aspects of your life —the vastness of the sea, the beauty of the sky, and the rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds.
What might happen if instead of fighting with our difficult thoughts and feelings – or avoiding them – we imagine them as ‘monsters on a boat’.
And willingly take them with us as we navigate life’s difficult waters?
