But What if the Chicken Won’t Wear the Nylons?
'Are you thinking what I think you think I’m thinking about your thinking about my thinking?'
Wow. That's a pile of gibberish, isn't it. Seeing it written out makes me super confident that the answer is "snorkel."
Yet when I first sat down to share my thoughts the other day, the snarky Mean Girl in my head had that mess defined as "See, you suck. Also, you're the only person who ever feels crappy and dumb."
That’s a LOT of drama just to write an email, don't you think? But, there it was in all its fun-killing fervor!
Then a scene from an old Warner Brothers cartoon popped into my head:
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Pinky?”
“I think so Brain, but what if the chicken won’t wear the nylons?”
And just like that, I was back to being able to take myself less seriously. (I love that cartoon!)
Feeling alone in a messy tangle in our head, with our inner judgy-jerk yelling that everyone else has it WAY more together than we do, happens to everyone because we're human.
Our brain makes up a story.
We compare ourselves to the story.
We don't measure up to the story.
We feel all alone.
So, yup, it’s going to happen sometimes. But with a little practice you’ll be able to recognize the cycle, turn down the volume on the snark, and pop yourself out of it a lot more quickly.
Here’s how I kick out of the tangle:
Notice It. Look for the physical symptoms happening in your body. For me that feels like pressure in my throat, an ache in the pit of my stomach, and my jaw clenched tight.
Allow It. There is nothing WRONG, with feeling this, it just happens sometimes because: human.🙋♀️
The Mean Girl can sit in the backseat, but she sure as hell doesn’t get to drive!Get Tall. I like to stand up, take 3 slow and deep breaths in & out through my nose, and then smile with my whole face for at least 60 seconds. I show my teeth and let my eyes sparkle! It might feel a little manic at first but it makes me laugh, every time. It’s awesome!
How do you untangle? I’d love to hear your ideas!
In the meantime, I'm off to watch some more Pinky and the Brain now...
“What are we going do today, Brain?”
“The same thing we do everyday, Pinky. Try to take over the world.”
