How to Handle Things Being Really, Really Good

Have you ever gotten a sore throat and then promised yourself that you would never take swallowing for granted ever again? But a week after the illness passes, you go right back to forgetting? It’s really easy to note when things in life aren’t going as swimmingly as we’d like and usually it requires some kind of course correction, aka attention! But it’s just as important to highlight and appreciate the good! Looooove Maxie’s tips on how to handle the good moments!

How to Handle Things Being Really, Really Good

Guest post by Maxie McCoy

We all go through ups and downs. It’s totally normals for our experiences to feel full of peaks and valleys. There’s a reason that life is often referred to as a rollercoaster ride, because it flies by and as quickly as you’re feeling the pit in your stomach from falling, you’re back at what feels like the top of the sky.

One of the great things about our shifting culture these days is that there’s so much less hiding and isolating ourselves when we’re feeling crappy from things going wrong. Whether that’s the anxiety of feeling lost, the freakouts of change, or the hell of heartbreak, there’s way more information than there used to be about what that feels like and how to deal.

But have you ever had things go really well and feel just a whole basket of weird emotions, too? Maybe you’re scared it’s all going to go away in a blink, or maybe you’re worried it’s too good to be true, or that everyone will find out you’re a total fraud, or maybe you don’t feel like you deserve what’s happening to you. Whatever comes up when things are going GREAT, know that you’re not alone if you’re feeling some weird feels when you think you should be feeling all the great ones.

Here are a few things to consider if you’re freaking out about things being so good:

Know the language. Maybe you got a big new job, or perhaps you got into your dream school. You should be SO happy right? But you’re scared people will find out you’re a fraud and shouldn’t be there. This is impostor syndrome! We all go through it when we’re expanding to new and wonderful chapters of our lives. Being able to identify what you’re feeling is a major step in being able to work with it, instead of it manifesting into negativity. Read up on it!

Be present. Often times we rob our selves of these wonderful life experiences by letting our minds become theatres of fear. We play out all the ways the good days could become bad days in an instant. And pure happiness can truly become terrifying. Dr. Brené Brown calls this foreboding joy. She says we “dress rehearse tragedy so we can beat vulnerability to the punch.” If this is something you find yourself doing when things are really good, practice coming back to the present. Deep breaths. Acknowledge what’s actually going on around you instead of what’s going on in your head.  (And maybe read Brown’s Power of Vulnerability)

Say thank you. It’s OK to let things be good. To be great! You don’t have to feel bad about it. You don’t have to wrap a disclaimer around all the ways things aren’t as great as they actually are. Just remember to say thank you, to yourself for creating this life, and to the world around you for helping bring it all your way. That which we honor with gratitude will continue to come to us.

It’s OK if life is really good, and yet that seems to be getting the best of you too. However, try not to waste away the good days worrying about when and how it’ll all catch up to you. Let it be easy, and let life be good. Really good.

For more inspiration and actionable wisdom from Maxie, pre-order her book, You’re Not Lost!