Self-Care Sunday: Avoid Judging the Moment

Resilient people know that events that seem bad in the moment can pave the way for good things in the future, so this week’s tip is to avoid judging the moment, and stay hopeful instead.

If you look back over the course of your life, you will be able to identify things you consider “good” that could not have happened without something you consider “bad” happening first.

Realizing this can help you choose to stay hopeful, even when things in the moment do not feel great.

This is perhaps best described using The Parable of the Chinese Farmer …

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, his neighbors came to commiserate.

“We are so sorry to hear that your horse ran away,” They said. “This is most unfortunate.”

The farmer replied, “Maybe, yes. Maybe, no.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven horses with it.

In the evening, everyone came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky?! What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!”

The farmer said again, “Maybe, yes. Maybe, no.”

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the horses, but he was thrown off and broke his leg.

The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad.”

The farmer responded, “Maybe, yes. Maybe, no.”

The next day military officers came to draft people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg.

Again, all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!”

And again, the farmer said, “Maybe, yes. Maybe, no.”

Can you think of something that happened in your life that you thought was "bad" at the time but turned out to be "good"?

How about the opposite? Can you think of something that you thought was "good" at the time but turned out to be not so good?

Can you think of something “good” in your life that could not have happened if a “bad” thing hadn’t happened before it?

Remember: Resilient people practice self-care. They are empowered to get their own needs met, and they treat themselves like VIPs. Remember also, resilience isn't just about strength and perseverance; it's also about positively adapting to the situations in your life so that you can move forward as a better, happier version of yourself. And a big part of that is taking care of yourself!