There is an upside to everything, even though that can be hard to see sometimes. When we are in the midst of a bad day, a bad week, a bad year, it can be hard to see the silver lining. Yet somehow, with perspective, support, and a bit of determination, the upside can always be there. Upsides shouldn’t detract from the experience though. An upside shouldn’t be an “at least.” One of my favorite YouTube videos, a short animated version of a talk on empathy talks about how empathy is about joining, not talking one out of the experience. An upside shouldn’t necessarily be “At least you have a job” when you complain about hating your job. However, an upside of this is to having the experience the job offers, the lessons learned, the drive to do better or feel better about your employment situation.
Psychologists using a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy orientation call this a “reframe.” Having the ability to take a step back from the experience, change your worldview and perspective, and look at it differently would be a reframe. The goal of this blog, and ultimately my practice of psychology, is to offer reframes and upsides. Monumental discoveries are probably going to be rare, but hopefully having a shift to your perspective can offer shifts in other areas of your life as well. I’m happy to have you with me on this journey!