滨听think it鈥檚 safe to say that a lot of us have relatively high expectations of 2017. Or perhaps, that is, rather low.聽
Given the year we just experienced, not a lot of amazing has to happen for everyone to give a big collective sigh of relief, am I right?
That鈥檚 if you actually buy into the whole 鈥�2016 was a bust鈥� scenario. And, personally, I鈥檓 choosing not to.聽
Sure, we鈥檝e got a jack-in-the-box-president-elect south of the border, and there was a seeming rash of celebrity deaths, maybe even more than normal. But, hey, Betty White is still going strong and that鈥檚 gotta count for something.
This isn鈥檛 to say that last year didn鈥檛 kick me really hard in the shins on a personal level too, but it鈥檚 all about playing the hand you were dealt, isn鈥檛 it? And in that spirit it鈥檚 what we show others around us 鈥� a.k.a. the small people 鈥� just what it is to get through difficult times.聽
The thing I have learnt (and continue to remind myself of) is that things we prefer not to happen are simply going to keep happening. Friends will move away, jobs will be lost, health will be compromised, loved ones will pass, and on and on and on. Bad things happen; it鈥檚 how we deal with them that defines our character and, ultimately, how we build survival skills in our children.聽
Letting kids see our disappointment, frustration and grief is not something we need to avoid, rather it鈥檚 something that can teach them we are all human beings capable of a range of emotion and, in the broader context, determining our circumstance.聽
Wishing, hoping, or even asserting that 2017 is going to be better than last year is wasted energy. The way I see it there are two things we can do to make our experience of 2017 as good as possible.聽
First, begin by closely examining and limiting your media consumption.聽
Choose your sources carefully and don鈥檛 fall prey to urgency and fear of missing out. If it鈥檚 going to impact your life in a significant way you will hear about it. It may take an extra five minutes or five hours, but you will find out.聽
Not too long ago I was sitting and enjoying an incredible cappuccino with a dear friend when her phone alerted her to a news story taking place half a world away 鈥� Paris.聽
People were killed, it was a tragedy and her phone was relaying the details minute by minute, but did it have any relevance to our day to day?聽
Did it trump two old friends catching up and discussing love lost and love gained, child-rearing triumphs and woes, our dreams for the future? No. But in that moment the Pavlovian response to the chiming of her device had us both rapt.聽
Buy yourself some peace and mindfully turn off what is not serving you, eliminate what is creating anxiety and fear, and setting a tone for your day that you don鈥檛 want.
Secondly, you are in charge of your reaction. When faced with crisis, challenge or the undesirable only you are able to dictate your reaction.聽
Staying grounded through any form of practice that suits you 鈥撀爕oga, hiking, meditation, cross-stitch, it doesn鈥檛 matter 鈥撀爄s something that will help set you up for calm objectivity.聽
Pick an activity that speaks to you and practice it regularly, so in adverse times you are able to pause and ask yourself: How much of your energy are you willing to give this situation and will it serve you in the end?
Modeling these things for our children will not only bring you peace and calm in the moment, it will teach them that they have the ability to determine their own reactions and ultimately their experience of life.聽
So if 2016 got you down, don鈥檛 despair, the change of calendar offers you more than a fresh start 鈥� it offers you a chance to create your own reality.聽
