Have you ever had one of those days (weeks, months, or even your years?) where, in spite of your best efforts, NOTHING seems to go right?

Welcome to my first few weeks of 2024

Here’s the story:

Two weeks ago I got a flat tire,

My fault - I love-tapped a metal sticky-outy thing on the curb when parallel parking.

On the way home from getting that tire replaced, I ran over a screw, and woke up to another flat!
(different tire)

Feeling personally attacked by The Universe, I lamented my bad luck, but I reminded myself (after a few choice 4 letter words) I’m safe, baby is safe, it's just a tire, fixable, a $100 inconvenience at most.

Next up:

You remember my little Cavalier Renly?

The following week he had 2 seizures in one day completely out of the blue 💔

He spent the night at the emergency vet (to the tune of $2500 💸) and now needs a very strong medication every 12 hours (on the dot!) until the end of time.

(the adjustment to this one is brutal to watch - any Phenobarbital dog mamas out there, my heart is with you)

Lastly:

That time I told my ER Nurse that being Delulu is the Solulu…

If you Google it, my name: “Caitlin Anne” translates to “Pure Grace”

Not a title I’ve been able to fully embody (just ask most sliding glass doors) unless it’s read through the sarcastic lens through which most my family views life.

Zoom in on Monday when I was on my way in the house to spend a restorative afternoon supine (with snacks) to recover from all the drama, when I twisted my ankle, heard a sound I'll never forget. IMMEDIATELY it swelled to the size of a generous Cara-Cara Orange 🍊

Spending 4 hours in BabyMama Triage gave me the time to reflect on ALL of this, and to draft my thoughts here in this blog. After verifying all was well with Baby H, they wheeled me down to the regular ER to get my ankle taken care of.

Diagnosis:

Avulsion Fracture

Now I have a sexy new boot to add some hobble to my waddle until further notice.

As a coach & woo-oriented woman, it’s my nature to look for the teachings & lessons in life’s experiences.

In the hours spent in the ER(s) I had plenty of time to noodle this one over, and here’s what came up:

When your luck feels like it’s running out…

What are you left with?

What do you DO?

**STEP 1 - MELT THE F*CK DOWN**

The hardest and least efficient way to heal is to pretend everything is ok, mask up your true state, and bypass the very real feelings that hard situations bring up.

One thing I try hard NOT to do, is avoid my initial feelings in a crappy situation.

This is so much easier when I’m alone, than when I’m around other people and feel that invisible pressure to keep it all together.

This was one major lesson from it all:

Allowing yourself to show vulnerability, and giving others the opportunity to take care of you is the path that will lead you through the sh*tstorm.

After holding it together until I was admitted to my triage room, the intake questions I was being asked opened up the floodgates.

Pouring out of me came the overwhelm + worry for Renly, worry for Baby H, and deep concern for my ability to make money and continue to save for my quickly upcoming maternity leave with the unanswered question of my future mobility.

Fully opening and letting the tears fall, I expected the nurse to keep moving forward, business as usual, however, I was very surprised by - and felt very held by her pause for empathy.

As someone who holds the space for so many other people - both personally and professionally, this was so comforting, and yet so unusual to me.

NOTE:

If you’re a habitual or professional space-holder - Don’t forget to allow YOURSELF to be held

After falling apart from the worry, the overwhelm, the fear, the why-me-ness of it all, (and oh yeah the PAIN), I was able to catch my breath, get settled and focus on the present situation and next right steps feeling more clear and calm after the purge.

STEP 2 - CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER

After processing and moving through the emotions of the initial impact, you get to choose:

“Am I going to stay here in the muck, or can I make the empowered decision to make the best of my situation?”

Either option is fine, but YOU get to assess how each one will feel to YOU, and place that side by side with how you WANT to feel.

THIS CHOICE is what you have left when it feels like luck has run out.

You probably can’t change your current circumstances RIGHT NOW, or magically make your luck re-appear, but knowing you have access to a powerful choice:

“How am I going to approach this situation? Who am I choosing to BE?”

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’m going to try to be funny in even the most un-funny situations.

Now whether this is a Chandler Bing type coping mechanism, or a true spiritual gift is neither here nor there. (And who says coping mechanisms aren’t actually spiritual gifts?)

Humor has ALWAYS helped me in those moments where it feels like the sky is falling.

So when the nurse suggested x-rays and that my ankle might be broken, I suggested that maybe we pretend it's not - and that being delulu is the solulu

Nurse did not laugh.

I, however, will look back on this scenario fondly for the rest of my days

I get to permanently re-wire a traumatic experience into a hilarious one

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS NOT A LINEAR PATH.

Pulse back and forth.

Humor, meltdowns, joy - it's a mix.

STEP 3 - REST, RECOVER + RECALIBRATE

As the storm clouds part, and the tides recede, you will feel completely drained, with a foggy brain, and an uncertainty of exactly which side is up.

(why are my keys in the refrigerator?)

Cancel and reschedule whatever you can so that you can spend your next few days resting, recalibrating, and re-fortifying.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be super productive, engaged, or involved.
Don’t worry about what chores will go un-done
Order takeout
Watch crappy tv - It turns the brain off so the body can heal.
Enjoy your coffee and fortify yourself with a good breakfast before making or taking any follow up calls to the vet or human docs
Take a hot bath, as emotional stress can leave your body feeling body aches in the following days
Move through life with softness as the emotional hangover is REAL
Tea, tea, and more tea.

Strategies, perspectives, and mindset shifts like these are the core of what I teach you in our work together, and will completely alter the way you experience your life.

It’s my biggest vision to help over-functioning recovering people pleasers in find alignment and devotion to their true selves, so they can move through life with confidence, ease, and a vat of extra bandwidth to dedicate to the things they care about most.

If you’d like to explore more about what that looks like specifically in your life, don’t hesitate to book a discovery call and we can paint that picture in full technicolor.

Until next time, STAY SAFE OUT THERE!

3 Ways to Survive a Cosmic Sh*t-storm