Don’t turn life’s tunnels into a cave!
I recently read a very intriguing post in Medium titled: “Your life may be hard right now but it won’t always be” by Luke Rowley.
The article revolves around an impactful statement his therapist made: “Depression is like a tunnel, not a cave.” (Read here to learn more of what that meant for him.) For my post though, I want to view this tunnel/cave analogy from two very different perspectives. Both based on real-life experience.
First off, what happens if…during a ‘long tunnel’ part of life you begin to get lost in the vastness of the tunnel. You may start to slow down and even take a long rest. You may even get complacent and turn your tunnel into a cave by no longer moving forward.
Leaning against the side of the tunnel wall, you may get overwhelmed by the seeming magnitude of your situation and find it easier to start setting up shop/home. You may begin to listen to the inner judge/victim and start to slowly give up hope of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. If you stay put long enough, you may even begin to forget which direction you were heading in the first place. Thus you have made your tunnel into a virtual cave of your own making.
If you are feeling like you are in a cave [EG: as of this writing, I have had no revenue stream for seven months] you still need to be relentless in moving forward. Even if it is a little trudging each day moving towards what you KNOW (deep down) is the light at the end of the tunnel.
My ‘trudging’ was to take a deep dive into upskilling with 2019 Adobe DLD (digital learning design) products by working on small personal projects of interest. After a couple of months, I started to see endless possibilities that sparked me into a full run for the end of the tunnel. (PS: I am still waiting to emerge).
From a completely different perspective, when you finally make your way through the tunnel…is the realization that life is … full of tunnels. Have you ever driven (or taken a train through) a large mountain range? It is tunnel after tunnel after tunnel. Some long and some short. Some dark and dreary, others bright and airy.
Life is full of tunnels. Yes, that sucks! But it is reality.
Yes, that sucks! But it is reality. It is not all rosy and sunny once you get out. Even if it has been a long tunnel of depression or unemployment or loneliness…. There is still going to be rain, and storms…that you still need to work through. Past experiences however, may have better prepared you for knowing it is going to happen. Regardless, you continue to venture forth on the journey of life knowing you are moving forward…even if you are not quite sure of the exact destination.
Maybe this is what they mean when they say… ”It’s all about the journey baby!”
