Welcome to The Land of WTF.
It’s a bugger in here.
Think of The Land of WTF as a rite of passage for every human being who thought one thing and then learned that the thing they thought they knew turned out to be something different. It’s very complicated. Very messy. Very discombobulating
It can feel like hell on earth.
It can send you deep into its abyss and rolls you around in the emotional hot mess it creates.
Ever been there?
We usually don’t know we’re in The Land of WTF until we’re in it—up to here!
How does it happen that we set out with the best of intentions to take care of ourselves, our families, our businesses, and then WHAM! we find ourselves deep in the eye-burning, tantrum-inducing, LoWTF?
So. Not. Fun.
When you’re in it, The Land of WTF feels like a giant, breath-sucking sandstorm.
Sometimes we get it in our heads that, “If I keep my wits about me I can outrun this thing.”
Um… don’t even think about it.
Once you’re in the Land of WTF all you can do is wait for it to pass through you. And then learn from it.
But first you have to be able to recognize where you are.
The Land of WTF is a feeling.
Also described as overwhelm, frustration, and the irresistible urge to howl like a wolf, the feeling you get when you’re in The Land of WTF is nothing short of helpless, out of control, powerless… and maybe even panic.
At its worst, you become stuck and you stay stuck.
A milder version of that feeling can send you deep into a Netflix binge, pausing only for some Doritos therapy (my other favorite binge).
Remember, you are not actually “out of control.” You are not really “helpless.”
But you do feel powerless in that moment and it’s important that you not fight the feeling.Instead, learn to recognize the certain feeling that is uniquely yours, and you’ll soon be able to slice, dice, and kick it in the pants faster than you can say, “Help me, I’m melt-inggggggg.”
Just knowing that the Land of WTF shows up from time to time (and that it’s normal, because you’re human!) may sometimes be enough to defuse it. It works for me. Surrender can be a beautiful thing.
When you do find yourself in the hot mess of a LoWTF sandstorm, don’t fight it. It’s futile. Instead, take cover; find a quiet place and calm your weary mind with these words…
It’s okay. This storm will pass.
I just need to slow down a bit until the wind subsides.
I will see clearly again.
I’m just going to breathe. Maybe I’ll go play tennis. Or knit a scarf. Or make some fancy little finger sandwiches for my best friend. Or myself.
The point is, you can’t fight your way out of a LoWTF sandstorm once it starts rolling through because fighting it is like emotional kindling.
If you let it, The Land of WTF will continue to ramp up your emotions even more.
When you’re wrapped up in an emotional sandstorm, you can’t think clearly, so don’t even try. The only thing you can do is ride out the storm by not thinking (admittedly, not an easy feat).
When you’re feeling less emotional (a natural consequence of a more balanced state of mind), see if you can access your “Wise Mind” because it always knows what to do.
Then, analyze what happened, take responsibility, and take preemptive measures so that you won’t be triggered into another similar sandstorm in the future.
Slow down. Re-group. Re-think.
This isn’t something you can’t handle (unless you keep telling yourself you can’t).
Of course, you can handle it. And (here’s my favorite part), you can figure out what to do about it.
