DON'T PANIC

It seems that the very moment when you find yourself on top of the world with everything under control is the exact same moment when you will notice the foundation below you crumbling. We all know this feeling. Each and every one of us has had an experience where at one instance in time we feel unstoppable, and the next instant... well, we're stopped.

How does this apply to me? Well, for the moment I can't fully discuss that. Suffice it to say that there are at least two different situations that I find myself in at the moment that I'm struggling with. Only a short time ago I believed wholeheartedly that the path I was taking was absolutely the right path for me. I felt downright unstoppable.

Times change. Now I feel... well, stopped. Sometimes life presents us with the most incredible of challenges. Under which circumstances, it is natural to feel overwhelmed. What solution is there to this sense of paralysis? The claustrophobic sensation of the world tightening around you? Do you succumb to these negative forces and give up? Do you thrash about wildly hoping against all hope that you can relieve even a fraction of the pressure?

A friend of mine who shares a similar interest in writing about the quotes and thoughts occupying his mind recently wrote about this quote:

"If you are going through hell, keep going."
-Winston Churchill

Mr. Churchill couldn't have been more right, and Gary couldn't have had better timing. Think about it. If you're in hell, where do you end up if you stop?

So I've been doing my best to collect myself and start moving again lately. I've been fighting the forces of inertia and trying to get myself going again. Sure enough, I'll be making a big move very soon. Believe me, I have no intention of remaining in hell.

I tell myself that I don't panic. The more I think about it, the more I realize that that is a lie. My panic is simply a little different than most. My panic isn't the freak-out-and-make-rash-decisions type; my panic is the I-don't-know-what-to-do-next-so-I-just-shut-down-altogether type. I internalize, and eventually I seize up and stop.

Perhaps the scariest part about all of this is my ability to disguise my negative emotions. I am absolutely stressed but I avoid showing it at all costs. I think the biggest outward indicator of my current state of mind is my health, and I even do my best to disguise the severity of those issues.

Nevertheless I always try my best to avoid panicking. Taking a moment to think a problem through and gather yourself before acting has proven itself a good strategy for me. It occurs to me that panicking will only exacerbate any trouble you are in, no matter which type of panic you exhibit.

Well, I'm done panicking. I'm facing some big challenges, but I'm ready to take them on.

So next time you don't know what to do, next time you feel like you're freaking out, or overwhelmed, or collapsing in on yourself, just remember these two simple words:

"DON'T PANIC"
-Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy)