Many people attribute their anxiety or lack of trust to having learned early on that if something good happens, beware: something bad is going to happen! Therefore, they cannot ever enjoy the good times for fear it won’t last, and something horrible will happen. They come to believe “Don’t trust good things! It’s a set-up for something terrible!”
Guess what? They are absolutely right!
“No storm can last forever. It will never rain 365 days consecutively.
Keep in mind that trouble comes to pass, not to stay.” — Iyanla Vanzant
Something “bad” will follow something good because that is a basic law of life. It is filled with vicissitudes. Few of us have lives that are completely linear with no blips whatsoever, though it may not appear as such. Yet no one gets through this life unscathed. Cancer can go into remission; a batter who strikes out can homer again; abundance can follow bankruptcy; sunrises follow sunsets; calm follows storms.
This is where the ancient adage “This too shall pass comes from. What goes up, must come down. And, fortunately, what goes down, must come up again.
When we experience something extreme (childbirth, winning an Oscar or a season championship, a graduation, etc.), many times a period of depression follows. This is because the unconscious likes homeostasis. Anything extreme, begs the opposite to restore equilibrium. This is according to psychology’s opponent-process theory, which asserts that initial intensity triggers an equal and opposite “after-reaction” to reclaim balance and what is familiar.
Buddhism holds a beautiful foundational concept that similarly supports “…the inevitable, fluctuating dualities of human life.” Rather than fighting these natural shifts and attempting to avoid them (which is impossible), a healthier goal may be to stay grounded and trust the inevitable ebbs and flows. This can go a long way in mitigating anxiety and hopelessness.
Buddhism posits vicissitudes as eight conditions in four opposing pairs:
- Gain and Loss
- Pleasure and Pain
- Praise and Blame
- Fame and Disrepute
The best way to navigate the natural vicissitudes is through the realization and acceptance that these conditions are impermanent. Rather than feeling that one can only be happy during “the highs” and attempting to prevent or live in fear of “the lows,” peace of mind and peace of body can be found in understanding and acceptance.
Learn more about anxiety hypnosis. I offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to anyone who wishes to make a positive change in their life. Please get in touch to schedule your call.
“Just keep swimming.” – Finding Nemo
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