A Scary Movie
Right now, every day feels like a classic scene in a scary movie. You know the setup. Someone’s walking down a dark hall that seems to be never ending. You’ve shouted at the screen giving them advice to run, or look behind, or better yet, you yell at them to stay inside for heaven sakes, and don’t open the door. Cue the creepy adrenaline-pumping music. They’re in danger, and you want to let them know what’s coming.
The really scary part of the film is not the bad guy or the zombie lurking around the corner. It’s the unknown. It’s what you can’t see, but you know it could be big trouble. Uncertainty is frightening. It’s the place where your thoughts can expand into a minefield of fear. Every possible worst-case scenario pops up when you least expect it. Sometimes the place your mind goes is unseen quicksand, and you fall into a place that threatens to swallow you. Sometimes it an emotional sucker punch in your gut.
It used to be that you went about your life and only occasionally something happened that really scared you. You probably didn’t think about it much. Now every day is uncertain. Everything seems to hold danger and some level of trouble is a constant. It may irritate you that you have to live this way. It may worry you to think about what’s next. It may paralyze you.
You’re the person in the scary movie, and you’ve got to get out of this predicament and get on to your happy ending.
I’m here, looking out for you to let you know you have some choices to make in this scene for a good outcome. You don’t have to go down the dark hall waiting for the worst to happen to you. You have options. Haven’t you thought the person in the movie should just flip the switch and turn the lights on? It may be as simple as turning a dark thought into a good one. Simple in the concept but hard to do when you’re scared, I know, but it will feel better than being afraid. Think of how scary things have turned out well in a bad situation before. Recall the ones that never happened after all. Remember moments that you’ve been brave before. Those are the switch on the wall. Let them light the way.
I’m here saying to you, don’t open that door that may lead to danger. Trust your inner voice that says don’t go there. Whether it’s a real possible danger or an imagined one that has grown in your mind from anxiety, make a decision to not open yourself to it. Find ways to barricade the threat by coping smart and reframing your expectations. The scary part of life can be that you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Turn that around and think of it another way:
The best part of life is you don’t know what fabulous thing might be about to happen.
Write that scene in your mind. Replay it as many times as you need until you believe it. You get to be the screen writer, director, producer, and the star.