I guess it depends on what I’m at my breaking point about. In prior times, it would have been my spouse. Now that I’m considering leaving them, it’s been my handful of close friends from school. I trust their judgement and advice, and they’ve always been a supportive presence despite the many stressors of the past few years. I know if things got really bad, they’d take me in temporarily or try to help however was in their means.
Usually something like, “This too shall pass” or “The only constant is change.” Reminding myself of the impermanence of every situation makes present difficulties bearable.
What also helps me is the prospect of emerging on the other side of the situation as someone with more experience, more self-understanding, and greater resilience. Those traits are high on my list of personal values.
I really like this perspective and I think I’ll try this framing moving forward. Thanks for sharing.
I do when travelling in any capacity (public transit, airplane) and most of the time when I’m in close proximity to a large group of other people (grocery store, crowded indoor event, anywhere with poor ventilation). I am starting to try doing some unmasked social events with a limited number of participants. It was only in June of this year that I started doing this. Prior to that, I masked everywhere all the time, except with my “bubble” of friends.
What’s true for someone else isn’t automatically true for you. You don’t have to discount your own perspective and feelings so that they perfectly match up with those of someone you like and admire.
Did your research end up changing your friend’s mind?
Southeast