Disclaimer: I have never actually been in the Doldrums! Light Airs – Yes, but never the doldrums. I am blessed to have an international network of friends globally, and as not all are not native English speakers one of them said this week – you have some quirky expressions. I’ll be honest, emotionally of late I have felt like I am in the doldrums though! Afloat and drifting back and forth as the tide turns without any progress or success. I often think if life was plain sailing, all the time, I would probably hate it! [Right?! or would I really!!?]. The reality of the matter is life does have its ups and downs and if it didn’t we would all be emotionally flatlining and zombies in our chosen state; Don’t Worry Darling and I am Legend spring to mind.

We experience the doldrums personally, in our economies, businesses and in fact any area of our life where we our emotions are reflecting the opposite expectation of what should be happing and where we currently are. Ergo it is so frustrating.  It can mutate into anger or fear, inadequacy even. The secret is to interpret and understand the message the emotion(s) is communicating. It’s a charcuterie [fyi I cant say it either without a really terrible french accent] of things that I know what they are, but I cannot for the life of me tell what it is made of! Well until now that is.

I’ve known for a long time how to name the emotions, I’ve known that they are negative and can be destructive to myself and others. And, I know that my reaction can be rather primitive – fight, freeze or flee. With a little scrutiny, you will find [as I did] which one is your go to [yup! I am talking about journalling again!]. As a wannabe over achiever, I personally adapted to all, situation dependant, however I have a favourite: flee! I have learnt though that you cannot, I repeat cannot, outrun your feeling, they stick like gorilla glue to hair [google it!] until there is growth!

Anyway, back to the doldrums. When sailing calm and light airs can be dangerous or the most peaceful and serene experience! In these wind conditions, it is more challenging to sail because and it requires patience, a constant readiness, and vigilance from  all on board, due to apparent wind vs true wind. The boat needs a to be steered with skill to maintain momentum and keep moving to prevent becoming stranded and unable to move [i.e. adrift and at the mercy of the current].

A quick lesson on Apparent wind – trust me it is relevant. Apparent wind is what you feel on deck in conjunction with the boats movement. More simply put it is like sticking your hand out of the window in the car and feeling the strength of the wind – cruising a 40mph the wind against your hand feels like +40mph (apparent), stop the car and the wind reverts back to the true wind speed considerably less in this scenario. [I hope I haven’t lost you in sailing jargon].

As a sailor you have to harness the energy of the apparent wind efficiently, continually adjusting the sails and helm to maintain momentum for steerage. By understanding our emotions, we can do the same and harness our feelings and be mindful of the apparent wind (emotion) within and guide ourselves to where we want to be – instead of becoming stuck – going nowhere.

If we keep moving, we get to decide on the destination, constantly adjusting and learning from it as we go. Stop and we are at the mercy of all the external influences we have no control over, like the current. The current is affected by the moon and the moon is affected by the earths rotation and that is affected by its relative position to the sun; you get the picture. Without this self-awareness we could end up in peril for the current is non-discriminate, either taking us out at sea unprepared or ashore as a ship-wreck!

Sailing is an art, and so are our lives. Finding balance brings us stability and therefore momentum to decide where we go, despite the external elements we cannot control. Taking control of our less empowering emotions builds confidence, focus, resilience, adaptability and when mastered, allows us to anticipate effectively as we learn to interpret the messages they are sending and steer accordingly and trim the sails. I’m pretty new to meditation, and this, coupled with journalling is where I am practicing understanding my own emotions. I’m using an app called Balance, [click here for a free years subscription while it lasts – you are welcome] and honestly I didn’t utilise it as much as I thought I would and that is because I was uncomfortable with the noise in my head every time I tried to get all zen! Until one of my mentors explained that the noise is normal! Talk about missed opportunity. When we understand the noise and the message gets through, only then, can we release it! Wish I knew that when I started!

So I just wanted to share that with all y’all today and hope it serves you. The doldrums need not be perilous or doom and gloom, rather an opportunity to slow down, reflect, learn and grow.  

Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate you! Drop a comment on your meditation practice if you have one, I am keen to know more!

KAxx