“WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK”–COLERIDGE

Recently, a water pipe burst under my kitchen sink causing a flood. I discovered this when I got up to pee in the middle of the night and began treading water. I spent the next 4 1/2 hours sloshing it outside with mops, mats and rags. Yesterday, a restoration team arrived, knocking out baseboards and cabinetry. As they set up 16 plus industrial fans and heaters one guy said, “Okay, when we’re done, it’s gonna sound like a 747 is landing in your kitchen.” He was quite accurate.

The following morning, I thought I smelled smoke. I ran to unzip the plastic covering and raced towards the 747s. The noise was deafening. The machines were giving off orange-colored glows but there was no fire. It was all in my head. Why? Perhaps it was a protective reaction: I’d just had one spontaneous disaster; there could always be another. Besides, my subconscious knew that using that much wattage COULD ignite something.

Anxiety is common among my clients and the world itself is problematic. However, what stirs our anxiety has little to do with the outside world and everything to do with our inner experiences. Pay attention to your feelings. If you jump up at 2 AM thinking the house is on fire, it may well be. Roll with it. But if it’s not, you’ve satisfied your unconscious worry. So, go back to bed. Remember, even trees need some stress to survive.

We have all of our feelings for a reason and that includes anxiety. When our antennae go up about something or someone, there is often a good reason for it. We are being warned that something is ‘off.’ So, before you reach for Prozac, embrace the anxiety and ask yourself: “Why am I having this thought?” Often, you’ll know why. If you don’t then ask, “Is this something I can fix?” If it is–fix it. If not, let it go. 

Ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said: “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” Psychologists suggest the “333 rule” for coping with anxiety by facing it. They warn that avoiding it FLOODS your brain with stress hormones and hijacks your critical thinking. So, look your nightmares in the eye until they… fade.

P. S. Should this ever happen to you in the wee hours of darkness don’t wait to call for help as I did. Contact a Restoration service ASAP and they’ll be there withini an hour and suck up all the water in seconds.