Yesterday I was in Boston with my son at his annual cardiology appointment. It’s amazing how 3 years have passed since his open heart surgery and yet the same feelings of fear and anxiety pop up as soon as we start the drive to Tufts Medical Center. We both know it’s a routine visit but I notice that we are a little testier, a bit more quick to respond – and not necessarily in a bright and breezy manner.
At least we are conscious of why we are feeling this way and what’s causing it. We know it’s a result of those two weeks of worry. Each year we’re able to acknowledge a little more of what we went through and we try to be a bit more patient with each other and ourselves. We know the feelings really don’t have much to do with now.
I wish it were that easy in the rest of our lives where prior experiences and/or beliefs hold us hostage to dysfunctional behaviors. Take money for example. How many times have you worried about spending too much, saving too little or something in between? Have you noticed fear, anxiety, disapproval, avoidance or any number of feelings and emotions?
And if you did notice, have you taken the time to figure why you feel them or where they come from? Unfortunately, if we don’t take the time to figure it out, we just keep doing the same thing over and over again not knowing why. We stay stuck in the same old patterns. But, when we’re stuck in those same old unconscious patterns – we can’t make any meaningful change in our financial life. We ignore our worries and anxieties and keep ourselves miserable on the same old merry-go-round. Do you know what I mean?
Another good check-up – no worries for another year!