I'd like to throw something in the mix if I may.

Are you living with, suffering from or battling against? Do you dance with, play along, or witness from afar?

So many descriptions, and I've used them all over time, but then I got thinking about just how powerful our choice of words can be; the correlation between inner dialogue and mental health fascinates me.

If we 'live with' does that mean we are not attempting to improve the situation and have simply accepted it? If we are 'suffering from' does that sow the seed that 'it' is stronger than we are and there is no point in trying? If we are 'battling' does that not make it an external, exhausting, possibly unwinnable fight? Or are we not simply dancing between all [and more] every day?

I try very hard to be mindful of the words I choose, I do understand how they can be so powerful in either elevating us or dragging us down (whether spoken or thought).

Titles we give or are given can also trigger opinions. When my parents were alive I was their carer, a medic, cleaner, admin, also a wife, a friend, a colleague, ...at work - a trainer. There were more but you get the idea; so many caps so many occasions. And I could see how not only did I often act differently when in different roles, but there were times when people Reacted differently toward me too. Isn't that interesting? Staying congruent to your true self whilst working with these different titles can be a struggle in its own right. (but that's another blog!)

Anyway, back to my baking...

When you look at these 'job descriptions' individually they can feel daunting, almost unachievable, but what if we looked at them as the ingredients of a cake? Some of the individual ingredients can be pretty unpalatable if eaten alone. If we were offered just one we'd no doubt decline; salt, baking powder, fat, even flour can all make us think the final result will be tasteless at best and inedible at worst, yet looking at the light sponge filled with cream proves that all the ingredients are needed; working together to make the final masterpiece.

So maybe if we could gently embrace the days that we feel we are 'battling against' ...sit with it a while and then let it go, enjoy the moments that we can 'dance with it', and accept the times that we are 'suffering from', we could begin to accept all that is, because all that is, is what makes us who we are – one big (sometimes messy) but beautiful cake!

My cake includes 2lb patience, 1lb resilience, pinch of irritability, 2lb each of both strength & weakness (equal amounts) 3lb humour, glass half full water, all neatly iced with gratitude & magic sprinkles.

I'd be interested to hear how you move between your roles.

Are you ready to bake your own cake..?

Rosemary

A Moodscope member.