In a world where hustle has become the norm, and everyone seems to be in a race, it is easy to get mired in life's minor annoyances and inconveniences. We get overwhelmed by immediate problems, temporary setbacks, missed opportunities, and such. Our focus is usually on the small details, magnifying them way more than they really are. That often leads to frustration, unnecessary anxiety, self-pity, emotional and mental stress, negativity, etc.
I guess most of us (if not all) succumb to such a perspective at some point in our lives. At 73, my Dad still falls to it at times. And when he does, he tends to find it a little challenging to get out. He would moan for days and reason out that it was his way of letting the steam off his chest. Sometimes I tease him that he would grow old a lot sooner if he kept stressing over the little issues. He'd eventually stop and live life as it was before any minor disturbances occurred, lol!
Well, I'm guilty of that too, but not to the extent that my father does. Mine would last for a few hours, or even minutes, depending on the weight I put on things. Being aware helps, so when I find myself in such a situation, I zoom out, pausing and breathing hard before I totally fall into the abyss of negativity.
How? I go out of the house, look up at the vast sky and find any interesting artwork in it, make my hands dirty by tending to the yard plants, walk along the farm, pull out weeds, or simply play with the LilGuy.
No, I'm not trying to ignore reality or problems. I acknowledge they exist, but I don't want my day to revolve around them because I have become aware that they are often distorted when I look at them through the narrow lens (personal biases, limiting beliefs, guilt, etc), and highlighting them usually takes me to a pity party, blaming game, and such. Hence, the practice of zooming out. It allows me to see things from a better vantage point.
And it never fails.
Photo is my own. 27042026/10:21ph
