Metaphorical Roller Coasters

I have a couple of ideas that I want to blog about soon, but since it's already quite late, I don't want to feel like I'm rushing through them. So, I want to talk about roller coasters. Okay, not actual roller coasters, but roller coasters as a metaphor.

When you read the words "roller coaster", you probably think of an amusement park or carnival where you sit in a little car that shoots down a track, zipping back and forth, up and down, loop-the-loop, etc. In fact, one of the key traits of most roller coasters is that you're usually going to a new peak or down a new slope - it's always changing.

Fortunately, roller coasters make for good metaphors because most people have a very similar core concept of what that means, so not much explanation is needed. If I say that reading a book took me through "a roller coaster of emotions", you could probably guess that I was experiencing a lot of different emotions and changing quickly between them.

Roller coasters can also be used as a metaphor regarding mental health. Someone who is dealing with anxiety or depression may feel great for a week with everything being on the up and up and then suddenly, stresses are abundant and the whole world is turned upside down. A person's mood could be as ever-changing as a roller coaster's altitude, although it's often not as fun as the carnival, particularly on the downward days.

I think the roller coaster metaphor is a good thing to keep in mind in regards to how family and friends are coping with anxiety, depression, etc. The most important thing to remember is that it's okay to have days when you're heading down that track (aka having a worse day than yesterday or previous days). Just because you're heading down that track now doesn't mean that you will continue that way forever. It may feel like you're undoing previous days' progress, but having that roller coaster is a perfectly normal thing, since our lives merge so many internal and external factors together. Also, there are people who are there to help and listen, kind of like the teen who makes sure your seatbelt is fastened and the shoulder pads are locked in place. Kind of, but not exactly.

This topic came to mind because today was a down day for me. There were a number of things in my life that came together recently and shook me up a little bit. I know the saying that the best advice to listen to is what you tell other people, which I think deserves some credit. Plus, I know other people who have a lot on their plate right now too. To quote Into the Woods, no one is alone. Remember that.

Alright, I think it's time to end it for today. I think with all of this said, I'll have today tip my hat to "Someday We'll Laugh About This Week", which ends tomorrow (the 8th). It just fits in a way.

DFTBA