My husband recently requested Forgetting Sarah Marshall from Netflix, and as it was the only movie at our house, I watched it.
Vulgar. Funny, but vulgar. I liked it.
My favorite part was the line by Mila Kulis’ character, which was something to the effect of,
Get out of your head, man, it’s nice out here!
I was like, “Hey, I do that!”
I do – I live in my head. I analyze, worry, fret, and examine every emotion I have, every word that comes out of my – or another’s – mouth. I don’t take things at face value anymore because I’ve been burned. Not always, but enough to make me hesitate.
Plus, you know, my self-esteem isn’t great.
I’m starting to recognize it at work. I’m sitting there freaking out – what if I’m about to get fired? What if everyone hates me? What if I never get another bonus or a raise – can I afford to keep working here? Shit like that starts to take over and I can’t stop.
Turning on music helps. Talking doesn’t, really. Pretending to be happy when people are talking to me and I can’t avoid them sometimes will turn my mood around.
But how do you really stop living in your head? How can you become confident enough that the squeak of the Fire Exit sign doesn’t drive you into depression because you’re the only one it squeaks for when you walk by (the conclusion here is, of course, that I’m the fattest person in the office)?
Just do it.
It’s the Nike slogan that everyone repeats. “How do I XYZ?” “Just do it,” they say. I’ve even said it myself, I’m sure of it. But come on, people, when you’re in a bad spot, it’s not that easy! When you’re down, or neurotic, or paranoid, or depressed – it’s just so much easier to just stay there, or sleep, or eat, or whatever it is that you overdo when you’re feeling that way.
Are you nodding your head right now? Well, I’m with you. The best I can do right now is try to drown out my thoughts when I realize I’m in my head too deep. Slap on some music, put in the earplugs, start singing if I’m lucky.
We’ll see how it goes.