Lessons from a Bumpy Plane Ride

I had a bumpy plane ride last week. 

"This will be an interesting ride" and "there won't be any drink service on this flight" were the phrases I overheard the flight attendants saying. 

The captain got on the overhead and calmly stated "gusty winds out of Las Vegas and a snow storm landing in Colorado". 

So, it was supposed to be a bumpy ride.

I could feel my heart beating a bit faster, my gut slightly knotting as it absorbed the news. 

I was in nervous anticipation. I was "pre-processing", as I like to call it. Pre-processing the discomfort. Anticipating the potential audible gasps that might come out of my mouth. I was even looking at the guy next to me trying to quietly determine whether I could grab his hand if worse came to worse.

Then the flight took off (though I felt I had lived the whole thing in my distressed imagination already). Up, up, up out of Vegas....barely a single bump. Smooth flight. Then down, down, down to Colorado...barely a single bump.

It was supposed to be a bumpy flight, turns out it wasn't.

▪️ But it made me consider the time and emotional energy I spent simply anticipating a potential. 

And I wonder if you've done this too? Maybe you're doing it right now. Not about a flight, but perhaps about other potential bumps in your path. Career uncertainties, life transitions, relational struggles. 

If you're in anticipatory anxiety or pre-processing mode today, here are some things to consider:

✅ UNIVERSALITY. What you're experiencing is common. Most of us do this. When we have uncertainty out ahead of us, we grab onto anything we can to try and feel in control (even if that's rehearsing anxiety).

✅ KNOWNS. Write down what you know versus what still feels uncertain. Focusing on what is in your control can be soothing and this list might help remind you that there are more knowns than unknowns, overall.

✅ HISTORY. Spend time remembering hard things that you've gone through and successfully come out on the other side of. You absolutely have success stories in your past, even if small (if you can't recall any, ask a friend). Bring them into your awareness and remind yourself what you're capable of and your ability to bring that same strength into what's ahead.

Bumps are inevitable at times, but there are always ways to navigate through!