That Thing About Getting Back on the Bicycle

What does one do, when one's life momentarily stalls out? When one finds no joy or pleasure in doing the things that one was passionate about doing? When life grinds to a halt and one feels nothing... not pain or joy, not passion or complete emptiness... just sort of numb.

First, stop where you are and for a moment do nothing at all. Stop putting one foot in front of the other, mechanically, on the theory if all else fails, it is important just to keep moving forward.

Then, dredge out of memory the hard-learned lessons about life. Start with a list of the things you need to be doing, including the things about which you are passionate. Especially the things about which you are passionate, and include those things on your list of things to do.

Remember that you live life one minute at a time, one hour at a time... one day at a time. Reset the internal rhythm of your life to living in the moment, from moment to moment, hour to hour. While you are doing that, make note of what you are feeling. And make an effort to feel something... anything. Search for the small victories along the way. Enjoy them. Revel in them.

Start with small increments of time. Survive those small increments of time, one after the other. Then, when the rhythm of your life begins to return to a more normal pace, stretch out the increments of time, until you are once again living from day to day, joyously and passionately, conscious of being alive again.

I am thinking aloud, trying to work myself out of a mental slump. This mental process works for me, sometimes. It might work for you. I hope it does.

Kindest regards,

Howard Fireman