by Bethany Eggers, MA, LPC-MH

I don’t know about you, but I am getting pretty tired of being teased by the weather. So far this year we have had several accounts of clear skies and warm sunshine followed by an abrupt downpour of rain or drifts of snow. Washing my car on a really nice day only to have it covered in mud a day later or taking my lawn and garden supplies out only to have to tuck them back away. On the days that we are forced back inside by the elements, it is easy to get sucked back into a slump of thinking “is this ever going to get better?” 

Emotions are oftentimes experienced in a similar way. We can have several days or weeks in a row that feel good, motivating or calm only to feel as if they got swept up in a storm, leaving us feeling lost or confused. It can be easy to have thoughts like, “Why does this always happen to me?” or “I just had a good day, what is wrong with me?” The more we try to rack our brains and figure out what must have gone wrong, the louder the negative voice speaks in our minds and the harsher the messages. 

I love this quote by Susan Cain which reads, “We live in a culture that only wants to talk about what’s going well. Anything that’s not going well is positioned as a detour from the main road. The truth is that pain is not a detour from the main road. Pain is part of the road we walk as human beings.” It can be easy to think that this pain and the bad days “only happen to us,” but we need to keep the journey in perspective. Not all days are going to have sunshine, but not all are going to have rain either. 

If you are having trouble seeing past the dark days, at all four of our locations - River Counseling Services in Platte, Sioux Falls Psychological Services, and Stronghold Counseling Services in Sioux Falls and in Yankton, our mission is this- we meet you where you are, offering hope.  You may schedule an appointment at the Platte office at 605-274-2716 or meet with one of our Sioux Falls or Yankton based therapists from your computer, smartphone, or in person at any of our clinics. To schedule an appointment, please call 605-334-2696.