Silver Lining

Sometimes life is really rough and seems like it throws us curveball after curveball. As if a pandemic were not enough, then there is the current heightened political climate, virtual schooling, job losses and so much more. All of this sounds like doom and gloom. It certainly isn’t fun and causes a lot stress and anxiety. However, stress is really bad for both your mental and physical health.

So, how do you find the silver lining in this sea of negativity that is all over the news and running rampant on social media? Dictionary.com defines silver living as, “a sign of hope or a positive aspect in an otherwise negative situation. The phrase is often seen as part of the proverb Every cloud has a silver lining, meaning that there’s hope or something good to be found in every bad situation”. What does this mean to you? It means that although everything seems negative, there is something good in every situation.

I am going to use myself as an example. In December, my lung spontaneously collapsed. The same day I was admitted to the hospital, we had a huge leak from our upstairs bathroom into our living room wall, ceiling and floor. We had two family members and a friend in the hospital with Coved, one in ICU, my best friend from college was diagnosed with breast cancer and then they found a mass in my uterus. Those are a lot of big, scary, negative things.

So, how did I find my Silver lining?

• I rejoiced in the fact that the mass they found was not cancerous instead of stressing about the surgery to remove it
• I felt lucky that I had such great care in the hospital for my lung and rejoiced that they were able to reinflate it and send me home to heal
• I still feel happy two months after my lung collapse when I take a deep breath and it feels normal
• The wall leak was not fun, but now we get new floors and the downstairs of our house painted
• I enjoy all of my time with my family and feel lucky every day I get to wake up and spend with them
• I realize that although life is different, I still get to talk to my friends virtually or visit with them for a socially distanced parking lot cup of coffee
• I am in awe and feel so proud that my friend is battling cancer and undergoing chemo like a champ with the most positive attitude
• I feel so incredibly happy that our friend and family members that were hospitalized with Coved are out of the hospital and ok

Through finding the silver lining in these negative things, I have also learned to really walk in gratitude instead of constant doom and negativity. Every night I take account of what I am grateful for, of which I have many things on that list. There is nothing too big or too small to put on your gratitude list.

I have had a lot of things happen to me in my life. I was always that person that people would say, “if it is going to happen to someone it is going to happen to Lindsay”. The younger less wise me, would always stress about these things, and find the negative worst case scenario. I am not saying that what I go through does not cause me stress and anxiety,  I am still human and it does, in fact a lot.

However, I now try to practice being more mindful by doing the following things:

• Talking to my support system and asking for help if needed
• Meditating daily
• Taking walks to see that I am part of something so much bigger than the small things impacting me
• Making sure I enjoy the present so it does not take away from my time with my family
• I also have stopped watching the news and paying attention to all of the hype on social media. At the beginning of the pandemic, I watched the news multiple times per day, looked up statistics and in essence gave myself lots of reasons to worry

Remember that stress is not good for you, but there can be something good to be gained from each negative experience you may be facing. Hence , the silver lining! . Be easy on yourself and allow yourself to feel fear, frustration, anxiety and stress, but don’t dwell on it. Try to find that silver lining. If it feels like it is all too much, try implement more mindfulness to help calm your nerves. Enjoy your family and friends and fill yourself with gratitude with all the good things you have in your life.

Sending love…