I was recently in a car accident. Out of the two other accidents I’ve been a part of -none of which were my fault, I must say – this one was by far the worst in terms of what happened, what could’ve potentially happened, and also, how much damage there was to the car.
I was driving back to Springfield from a funeral I had to attend in the Twin Cities, where I’m originally from. All in all, everything went as well as it could’ve, considering the circumstances. Then, as I was driving back through Wisconsin, it began to snow. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about to be driving through a winter weather advisory….in April!
THANKS, WISCONSIN!
One thing led to another, and I ended up losing control of the car and ended upside down in a ditch on the side of the road. Thankfully, there wasn’t a scratch on me – although the car was absolutely totaled.
And after I got checked out and picked up by my wife, we began the process of starting a claim, getting a rental vehicle, while hoping for the best as it concerns reimbursement. Our insurance company – USAA – came back with a settlement we thought was more than fair, so we cashed out and got a new car that we are now really excited about.
But as we were driving back from the dealership, I found myself in a really foul mood for some reason. My anxiety can come in all shapes, sizes and feelings. The entire process – from getting into the accident to all the insurance and car shopping – had worn on me, and I was no longer living in the moment. I was thinking about all of the things I wanted to do with the time that we had allotted to completing all of these really important innovations. My wife noticed me quietly brooding, and I explained to her what was going on. She usually has the perfect thing to say to me – and this time was no different.
She told me that we are the only people who can control how we feel or react to a certain situation. As hard as that is to swallow in the moment, she was and is absolutely right. I needed to concentrate on feeling better and living in the moment. I needed to stop for a moment, clear my head, and breathe – and wouldn’t you know….it worked.
Try to manage your reactions. Luckily, I had someone there to remind me, but try to remember this for yourselves as well. If no one else is around and you feel yourself sinking into a mood, only you can control how you get out of that mood, or worse – stay in it and start to spiral.
Just like everything else in life, this takes practice and time – but the more you work on it, the easier it will become.
I hope everyone had a decent weekend. As per usual, if you feel like you have no one to talk to, feel free to reach out. My email is Rocki@wnns.com.
Enjoy this week’s happy, fun, good-time video!
