Out of the Spin Cycle

Have you ever felt like you are on a losing streak and no matter what you do, things seem to be spinning out of control, sucking you into a seemingly never-ending, downward vortex?

We all get in this place from time to time. How do you handle it when things go wrong, or difficulties arise? I sometimes try to take my mind off of the problem. I would rather think of more pleasant thoughts and not dwell on the negative. Often when troubled, I find myself thinking about playing in the mountains, spending time with my family and my dog, or even the San Francisco Giants. Those are my default “happy places”. We all have mental escapes from our worries and they serve us well...sometimes.

Often times, even when we are feeling down in the dumps, we know that wallowing in our sad state of affairs won’t improve our situation, so we try to find our “happy place”. But sometimes it all just seems so overwhelming! To escape, we choose to not even think about it. And guess what happens then?!?! Things get worse!

What started as a small problem is now larger; or the problem has multiplied and now there are several worries jockeying for position in your brain. Before you know it, life seems like a never-ending cycle of bad news, depression, pain, decreasing results, and everywhere you look, disaster lurks. It feels like being in the washing machine’s spin cycle and the machine of life is sucking you DOWN!

So how do you escape the dark place or spin cycle?

Do you know what an eddy is? An eddy is “a current of water moving contrary to the direction of the main current, especially in a circular motion.” It is VERY SIMILAR to the washing machine spin cycle of negativity I described above. It can be VERY dangerous if you are trapped in one; in fact, many kayakers and rafters have died in eddies. What happens is, when caught, you instinctively try to pull out. The strength of the eddy simply sucks you back in, over and over. It CAN drain all of your energy trying to pull out of it. You can strain and pull and paddle until you are literally lifeless.

Did you know the ONLY way to escape if you are caught in an eddy is to AGGRESSIVELY, PURPOSEFULLY THROW YOURSELF RIGHT INTO THE VORTEX!?!

Think about that! The only way out of the “spin cycle”is to throw yourself into the vortex—or your problems—head-on! Now think about this lesson in relation to your life. When things go wrong what do you do? Do you try to find escapes? I shared mine above, but take a minute now to picture yours. How do you react when the going gets tough? If avoidance and distraction are your go-to coping mechanisms, I want you to give this aggressive vortex confronting a try.

Think: What is the vortex YOU are avoiding right now? What do you need to literally throw yourself into? What steps can you purposefully take to conquer the current throwing your life out of control? Do you need help with these steps or is it something you can handle on your own? What is the very first action you can take to correct the inopportune flow of your life?

Sometimes the “happy places” serve us well, but to get out of the spin cycle and continue forward with smooth sailing, you sometimes need to face your problems head on - AGGRESSIVELY and PURPOSEFULLY - to escape the eddy!

THIS is one of the secrets to1 Life Fully Lived. Stay tuned and connected for more life secrets and advice so you can dream, plan and create your magnificent life.

~ Tim Rhode