Odds are good that a slump won't last forever
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that life is cyclical. If you are
in what you recognize is a low patch, the odds
(00:25):
are good that you will experience happier times in the future.
This is really just a matter of probability it will
get better, which can be comforting to know in the present.
I read a fascinating study recently about marital happiness. Many
(00:47):
thousands of people were interviewed about twenty years ago, and
we're asked to rate their marriages on a seven point
scale from hellish to heavenly. In these subjects were reinterviewed
five years later. As you might imagine, some portion of
those who rated their marriages as hellish had divorced, but
(01:10):
interestingly most hadn't, and of those who stayed with their spouses,
the majority now said that they were very happy with
their lives. In other words, things got better now. This
wisdom obviously doesn't apply to relationships that are abusive, but
(01:32):
it seems that most normal long term partnerships go through
some serious ups and downs. The researchers had caught some
chunk of couples at an obvious dip in their life satisfaction,
but five years later the dip was over. They had
climbed out of it. Life got better. I think this
(01:56):
is true for lots of aspects of life. Maybe you've
recently lost a job or feel like you're going to
need to leave one that had been great in the past.
Maybe a much anticipated project hasn't panned out. These career
low points can feel terrible when we are in them,
(02:16):
but when we recognize them as low points, we can
see that most likely, in a few years the situation
will be different. Most likely you will be earning good
money doing something that you like. Or maybe a family
relationship is strained, but with some patience, the current stressor
(02:37):
might become less painful. Over time, we put one foot
in front of the other and just keep going. I
have been trying to remember this lately as I deal
with my toddler's sleep woes. Several of my kids have
had a rocky relationship with sleep. But since I have
(02:59):
chronicled my life on my time logs, and since I
can observe my older children, I know that it does
get better. I mean, they sometimes still do have sleep woes,
but they're sleep woes no longer ruin my nights. Children
do grow up. This too shall pass. The key is
(03:22):
to recognize when something is a true low moment and
to acknowledge it as such. The nature of low moments
is that they are well low, definitely lower than other moments.
That means that the odds are good, that good stuff
is coming up. So if you recognize that you are
(03:46):
dealing with very negative circumstances, knowing that this is most
likely a low moment, can offer hope. If people who
rated their marriages as hellish can wind up very happy
five years later, then it is quite possible that almost
anything can get better. It just takes a little time.
(04:11):
In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
(04:31):
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
that's b E the number four then breakfast p O D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Podcast at iHeart media dot com That Before Breakfast is
spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
(04:59):
production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I
heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H
Before Breakfast News
Host
Laura Vanderkam
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