ups and downs (noun): a succession of both good and bad experiences.
There’s a quote I always go back to when I think about ups and downs, from the movie “Blow.”
“Sometimes you’re flush and sometimes you’re bust, and when you’re up, it’s never as good as it seems, and when you’re down, you never think you’ll be up again, but life goes on.”
When thinking about highs and lows, ups and downs, ebbs and flows, whatever you want to call them, it’s really so true that it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. This goes back to my note from right before the holidays (you can read it here), and how perspective is truly everything. Beyond that, though, is the notion that life is going to be full of ups and downs, no matter what, forever. Of course, it would be nice to only experience the highs, but without the lows, you can’t truly appreciate those highs.
I think there’s an unspoken pressure in life and society to be, act, feel a certain way. The holiday season is supposed to be the happiest time of year, right? If I could tell you the amount of people who told me it was certainly not the happiest for them, you might not even believe. And you almost feel guilty not being the happiest possible during those weeks. But there’s no need to feel guilty. At all.
I guess all of this is to say to allow yourself to feel all your feelings, even the big, not-so-pretty ones. Try not to let them swallow you up, but feel them, and let them pass through you. Remind yourself the lows won’t last forever, and when you’re going through the highs, stay present, get off social media (I’ve basically been off all social media for a few weeks now, and when I tell you it’s the greatest thing I’ve done in a while, I truly mean that!!), and appreciate and live in that moment.
As we move into 2023 (omg how is it a new year!), try to remember that the year will be full of great times and maybe not so great times, and it’s ok to not smile all the time. It’s ok to go through it. It’s ok to take a beat and don’t be so hard on yourself when you do, because in the end, it’s all going to work out exactly the way it should. You are exactly where you need to be right now. That I can promise you.
The best is yet to come. Happy New Year. xx Julie