Don't live on the outside of your life...
Have you ever suffered toothache? Unfortunately few people can say, “No." Over the festive period, I was no exception and experienced the toothache from hell and oddly enough my nearest and dearest came out in sympathy. Catriona's front tooth cracked, Kyle had grinding wisdom teeth and my tooth to put it simply - died - and did not do so quietly! In fact between us we had an extraction, two root canal treatments, two courses of penicillin and morphine administered in an Australia hospital.Displacement therapy
As I sat in Dr Ermenfried Stark's dental chair in Fulda, I thought to
myself, "I'm very lucky to be in the hands of an expert." And to fend
off the pain I applied displacement therapy by planning this e-letter.
It occurred to me:
- Perhaps you need to feel a little pain to make you realise how lucky you are,
- It is idiotic to continue to do things you know will cause you discomfort - be that mentally, physically or emotionally,
- If you want to live a great life you need plan to be healthy in all three of three areas.
Sometimes bad things happen - it's how you react that counts
We were unfortunate? Do we have poor dental hygiene? Or do bad things
just happen sometimes? I'd say that it's the latter. And if you learn one from this tooth drama it is this - don't live on the outside of
your life. In my experience, many people do just this. They live on the
outside looking in. It is almost as they have hit their personal
"pause" button or pain threshold and say, I'll do that when:
- I've paid off the mortgage,
- The children have gone through school,
- I'm married,
- I've got that promotion,
- I've lost weight,
-
I’m divorced.... the list is endless...
Some folks will do anything rather than feel the pain of extracting themselves from a difficult situation. They fear the worst outcome rather than seeing a short term pain for a long term gain. Do you spend your life on hold? Does your inaction cause a chain reaction within your circle of friend and family? Do they feel they need to come out in sympathy with you?
Tempus fugit
Take a few moments to reflect because experience tells me that time
slips by very quickly and regrets and frustrations take over. Then like
my decaying tooth, infection can set in and many areas of your life may
be come damaged. You need regular dental checks and the same goes for
your general wellbeing.
Get a Check-up from the Neck up!
Find someone you can turn to for advice and support. Find your mental or in
my case, dental expert. Get a regular "check up from the neck up!" Take
action as part of your personal happiness insurance. Ensure you avoid
the serious cost of ignoring, what has to be tackled in your life. You
could be looking at a lot more than simply having a back molar
removed... make steps today.
Read more here - a little new year's gift from me to you, an excerpt from Love your Life... Survive the System - Strategies for Coping with Stress.
Here's to 2012!
Pass it on: The information in TCI may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Eilidh Milnes. It originally appeared in "Talk Confidence International" her free e-letter, available at www.eilidhmilnes.com." Thank you.
Comments
Inspiring story there. What occurred after? Take care!
19-Apr-2012 07:37 AM