Have you ever had really positive news and really negative news happen at the same time? And both pieces of information are life-altering? If you have, then you might understand how hard it is to feel excitement or joy or any positive feeling associated with that positive news. Why? Because as humans, we’re wired to look for negatives. We’re wired to avoid anything that might be bad or pose as a danger.

And when we get life-altering bad news, we consider it a danger to us. To our well-being, our mental stability, and our abilities. It can be hard when you’re the one facing the bad news yourself. But it can also be hard when you’re not the one personally experiencing it. Because just as much as we’re wired to avoid danger, we’re also wired to want to protect those we love from the same perils.

But when we focus on this danger or threat, it doesn’t leave much space to focus on the positive. It can even do quite the opposite and leave no time for the positive because we’re so laser-focused on avoiding or fixing the negative. But what if we can’t fix the negative? What if something happens where the outcome is out of our control though? If the same thing happens to you that happens to me, then you almost neglect the positive because you feel the negative is what deserves your attention. And clearly so, right?

BUT

But that can’t be good for us either. It’s not healthy to dwell on negativity. To avoid positive things because it might feel like you’re being selfish or ignoring the bad when that’s not right. It’s healthy to focus on both aspects. To learn to feel the positivity when the negativity is too much to handle. And that’s what I’m learning to do each and every day. Of course it’s a learning experience. I’ll have some bumps in the road. I won’t get it right at times. But I’ll keep on trying.

And in case you’re wondering, the negative news I’m currently trying to grasp is that my mother-in-law was diagnosed (again) with cancer. And just because we’ve dealt with it before doesn’t make it the least bit easier because this time it’s more serious. I don’t want to go too far into detail because it’s not my story or my information to share. The positive news on the other hand, is my story to tell. (I’m not pregnant or anything, though hopefully that time will come for me soon!) I can’t share it though because there are certain aspects of it that I would like to keep private but I’m also hoping that soon enough I’ll be able to share about that here too.

So if you find yourself in the midst of figuring out how to navigate feelings and emotions when they’re all over the map – welcome to being a human! Hopefully you aren’t too hard on yourself as you navigate this life just like the rest of us. And if you’re looking for some way to get out of a negative funk, check out ETM’s blog here.

As always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community of Mommas! I encourage you to join discussions, interact with Mommas alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:

With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma