Expectations can be dangerous
Expectations, those silent yet weighty anticipations of success and outcomes, can be treacherous. Unmet, they often morph into heavy cloaks of disappointment, frustration, and stress, shaking the very foundations of our mental well-being. These high or unrealistic expectations become burdens, clouding judgment and coloring perceptions. How many times have you thought, why am I carrying an albatross on my back?
The pressure to meet these expectations, whether self-imposed or external, is unceasing. It breeds anxiety, stress, and eventual burnout as individuals struggle to align reality with lofty benchmarks. I don’t know if just me, but there’s a lot more pressure present than a few decades ago.
In relationships, unspoken or unrealistic expectations often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, fraying the threads that bind. They obscure vision, limit creative collaborations, and hinder adaptation to change. In fact, I’ve seen a number of my friends over the years in the creative world seriously jeopardize meaningful relationships because they were unable to go beyond the expectations they had for a partner.
Writer's block, compounded by financial concerns, exemplifies this pressure. The dread of failing to meet expectations cultivates avoidance, stifling personal growth.
Understanding and managing expectations can alleviate burdens, fostering open communication and healthier aspirations. Yet, it's not always easy. Meaningful change requires effort; it doesn't happen instantly."
Don’t worry, be happy
Worry, that thief of time and energy, triggers stress, exhausting mental reserves. It can easily disrupt sleep and amplifies negative thinking.
Catastrophizing threats and worry distort reality, exacerbating stress. Chronic worry can easily lead to physical manifestations and substance abuse. It’s like you need something to help dull the pain.
Despite clear wisdom, incorporating positive health into daily routines can be challenging, leading to mental paralysis and fear of failure. Failure hangs over us like a heavy cloud, casting shadows on our every endeavor.
As a creator, balancing expectations, worrying, and earning a living is daunting. And today, navigating digital life's illusions versus reality strains mental wellness seems to amplify these issues.
Addressing the source of high expectations and devising strategies to manage them lays the foundation for an authentic, content life. This is the flip side to the freak show. If we really want to change, if we make that decision and commitment, we just have to get to the source of these sky-high expectations and start hustling up some savvy strategies to tame them. By getting to the root of where wild notions spawn from and wrangling them into something manageable, we’re talking about laying down the foundation for a life that’s not just authentic but sings with contentment and is solidly anchored in reality. A life where you’re not just surviving the spectacle but directing the show.
Navigating expectations is a journey through your mind's wilderness. You'll need self-awareness gained by confronting challenges head-on. Mix in honest conversations and adjust your dreams to match reality. And there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. We can’t always accomplish these things on your own.
For some people, it’s about equipping yourself with mindfulness and journaling. They can be secret weapons for managing expectations and finding balance. A good therapist can be particularly invaluable for all this. Of course, they’re not so easy to find.
Just like a road trip through your old haunts, your past experiences like to hitch a ride, whispering sweet nothings about what’s to come. These ghosts shape your visions of tomorrow, painting pictures based on the scars and trophies of yesterday. Try and avoid them at all costs.
And, lurking close by, the dazzling, dizzying heights of social media and the crew you run with—family and friends, the whole societal ensemble. They’re like the crowd at a rock concert, each one telling you how life’s supposed to be a non-stop rave. But often, they're selling you tickets to a fantasy that leaves you stranded.
Deep down, where your dreams brew and bubble, your own desires and daydreams stir the pot, setting the stage for what you expect from yourself and the world. It's your personal hype man, pumping you up, sometimes a bit too high.
Expectation anxiety versus the brutal smackdown of actual reality—it's like being strapped into a psychological roller coaster where the ups are sky-high and the downs are a gut punch. When the grimy truth falls short of your glittering dreams, disappointment, frustration, and anxiety crash the party, turning your inner landscape into a battleground of emotions. That’s when life becomes a living hell.
And then there's the digital mirage of social media, blasting out snapshots of a too-good-to-be-true existence. It’s like staring at the sun—dazzling but dangerous. This relentless barrage of perfection pumps up our hopes on a one-way trip to Letdown City when our everyday lives can't quite make the cut. Nothing is ever good enough. It’s that sucker punch you feel when reality trips up and face-plants you before the finish line of your expectations. It's a cocktail of heartache and disillusionment, served lukewarm.
Keep getting served this bitter brew and frustration starts to bubble up. It's that nightmare earworm that won’t quit, like a broken jukebox playing the same sad song on repeat—eventually, you're bound to feel a bit unhinged. Hey, we’re only human.
When life throws you a bone and things turn out better than you dared hope, the high is nothing short of euphoric. Relief and joy blitz through your veins, a natural high better than any psychedelic trip. But is this just a dream? Of course it never lasts.
This constant tug-of-war between what you expect and what you get can jerk your self-esteem around like a ragdoll. Nail your expectations, and you're king of the world. Miss the mark, and it’s a nose-dive into a giant vat of doubt.
Enhanced by pharmaceutical extractions and other mind altering substances, this ceaseless clash between your hoped-for fantasies and the hardcore reality can shred your mental peace to bits, paving the way for anxiety or depression to muscle in. Keeping your expectations in check isn't just good sense—it’s absolutely essential for mental fortitude.
Ever feel that itch when your brain's picture of the world doesn’t match up with what your eyes see? That’s cognitive dissonance doing the jitterbug in your psyche, nudging you to tweak your views or your game plan to cut through the mental fog.
Navigating this chaos isn’t just about survival—it’s about choreographing your own dance between the raindrops, learning the steps that let you groove through life’s storms with your head held high and your heart in the right place.
I’m about to turn 75. I’ve learned quite a bit in this life. I’ve certainly made my share of mistakes and then some. And since I’m human, I continue to do. Today, I have but a small percentage of the answers to the big questions. But I keep asking and always will. As I’ve said before in my postings, I really only know one thing — how to keep going. I am a survivor. No doubt about that.
Sometimes people say "if only I had my life to live over"...not me! It was hard enough getting to this point.