Hey there fabulous Lysse on Life readers!
My name is Kaitlin and I’m a 20-
something who’s been graduated and working in the “real world” for like five months now. Alysse graciously agreed to do a blog swap with me and I quite literally could not be more excited to have the chance to connect with her AND all of y’all. One of my favorite things about blogging is having the opportunity to build relationships with different people all across the world, so this definitely furthers that.
I have been wanting to write this post for quite a while, but just haven’t gotten around to writing it for my own blog. Alysse and I decided to do a blog swap, so I thought chatting with y’all would be the right place!
Living as an “adult” for the past several months has really made me value my mental health, and one of the ways I do that is through my mantra! I know the idea of a “mantra” sounds low-key lame and super cliche, but it’s literally one of the best things I could have done for myself!
I don’t know if your parents are like mine, but growing up I would get really upset or annoyed about something and my mom would always say something along the lines of, “Kaitlin, just let it go. It’s not life or death.” If your parents didn’t use that phrase, it basically means whatever you’re upset about isn’t the end of the world, so just keep on trucking.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned everything quite literally is life or death and it’s not a bad thing.
Sometimes you may be put in a bad situation, but you’re still alive and you’re going to get through it. I have read many a blog that tell readers to ask themselves if whatever the hold up is going to be important five years down the line. They’re thinking along the same line as I am.
Your boyfriend broke up with you. Are you going to care in five years? You had to ask your mom for money to pay your electricity this month. Are you going to care in five years? You and your best friend got in a fight? Are you going to care in five years?
If you’re like me, it’s very likely the answer to all of those is overwhelmingly no. We like to get all hyped up about certain situations, whatever they may be, when in the long run they’re really not going to matter.
Want to know why?
Everything is quite literally life or death.
Every time I explain it to someone they saw it as low-key morbid, but I’ll let you be the judge. No matter what bad situation you’ve gotten yourself into, you’re still alive and will keep on chugging. You’re basically the Little Engine That Could. That, and the ability to learn new things about yourself and the world, is beautiful in and of itself. Life is the great experience and everything, even struggles, give you the opportunity to learn more about yourself and get closer to becoming the person you want to be.
On the flip side, if you’re dead, you won’t know! Or you’ll get to be a ghost or in Heaven or whatever it is you believe in, so those are pretty awesome alternatives.
Thinking of life like that changed so many things for me. I used to be negative and up in arms about everything if it didn’t work out my way, but now I have the opportunity to be ecstatic about everything that happens to me because it makes me more of who I’m supposed to be.
My boyfriend broke up with me, but it helped teach me what I wanted in a man. Someone that I thought was a friend didn’t help me get away from the creepy guy at the bar, but I learned in a low-stakes environment that maybe that friend doesn’t have my best interest at heart. I ran out of gas while on the way to work, but I learned just how far I can push my car until I run out of gas.
Everything is a learning situation and learning helps you get better in the future. I know, gag me, right? I thought that at first, but looking at my life in this way, where everything, no matter good or bad, is an opportunity to learn about myself and get better for the future has honestly improved my quality of life and has led to a whole lot less stress.
Do you have a mantra?
Thanks for letting me hang out in your blog space, and feel free to follow my blog (kaitlinbain15.wordpress.com)! I write about my life, my job, my style and other stuff I just randomly run into.
Xo,
K
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