A Swift Transition by Melissa A. Johnson
Perhaps you can recall a time, either as a child or as an adult, when you needed to rip off a Band-Aid or a piece of tape from your skin. No matter how much you tried to prepare yourself mentally for that moment, the actual pain of the removal often caught you off guard. Life can be much like this; some experiences will hurt, and no amount of preparation can lessen the sting. You might tighten every muscle in your body, close your eyes, and engage in an inner dialogue, convincing yourself that you can handle it. But after the deed is done—possibly accompanied by a tear or two—recovery is inevitable. You managed to endure because your mind and body worked together to see you through.
According to Collins Online Dictionary, a “swift transition” refers to an event or process that happens quickly or without delay. In that spirit, I invite you to pause briefly before you go about your day, your weekend, or the upcoming New Year. Take a moment to reflect on your body and spirit. Still, your thoughts and movements to detect the level of tension in your muscles. What have you had to fight through this year? Your instinct to fight, flee, or freeze has likely been on high alert. You might recognize that familiar phrase, “I wish you would,” which often surfaces before your brain fully registers that the driver of the car in front of you is simply a sweet senior trying to get home safely. This year has been unprecedented, so take the time to ask yourself whether you are in flight or freeze mode as a result of what you have seen in the news. Have the numerous issues facing humanity knocked on your door—such as job insecurity, an unstable stock market, global warming, foreign wars, medical diagnoses, or the current state of our country’s political landscape? Have you become desensitized because there are just too many things to keep track of, leading to mental overload? Denial, worry, and anxiety all stem from the same root, and too many people respond by increasing their prescriptions or relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms.
We often let the circumstances around us dictate our emotions instead of tapping into the power within us. Scientifically, untreated anxiety can be closely linked to elevated levels of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and mental health disorders, including depression, and addiction.
So what can we do? Start today with these three actionable steps: 1. Wake Up! Wake yourself up from the belief that there is no hope—that everything you’re watching is out of your control and does not affect your life. Turn the light on in your life and take an honest look at how you are living, thinking, and speaking to yourself. While the brain is not a muscle, it can be stimulated and improved through mental exercises and the learning of new skills, just as muscles strengthen through physical training. 2. Get Up! Get out of your comfort zone or your state of complacency. Shake off the dust from your perspective and your physical space. Take a break from television, social media, and anything else that has contributed to your current state of unwellness. Open the curtains, dust off a hobby, rearrange your furniture—get moving. Go outside with intention and mindfulness, not just to walk the dog, but to truly unplug and rejuvenate. 3. Hope Up! Encourage yourself. The glass is not half empty; it is half full. No, you don’t have more years behind you than ahead of you—you have countless minutes to live the life you desire. This life should be filled with hope, joy, and happiness. Hope and faith are closely linked; hope opens the door for your faith to believe that positive outcomes are possible even after tragedy. Hope is a choice and an action word that comes from deep within. It is the rope that pulls you up and out of despair, depression, and deprivation.
As stated in Deuteronomy 2:3 (NASB, 1995), “And the LORD spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north.’” This is a swift transition. At that moment, God directed a sense of urgency for Moses and the Israelites. We can all benefit from similar swift transitions in our lives. Building hope involves several key practices and mindsets: 1. Setting Goals: Clear, achievable goals provide direction and purpose, inspiring hope for the future. 2. Positive Thinking: Cultivating a positive outlook helps to reframe challenges as opportunities, encouraging a hopeful perspective. 3. Resilience: Developing the ability to bounce back from setbacks fosters confidence that challenges can be overcome.
As you move forward, remember to carry these practices in your heart. Embrace the power within you to not just endure but to thrive. May this be the year you transition swiftly into your best self.
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