AHHH, I Was Not Ready!

I have never been a fan of surprises because I like to mentally prepare myself for what is to come. Growing up, I always knew when my parents were planning something for my birthday because I made sure to find out instead of being surprised. All my life, I have carried this mindset, however, I recently encountered a situation that challenged my mentality. When my friends decide to surprise me by showing up to my house or when my boyfriend encounters me with a bouquet of flowers, I often do not know how to react. I become overwhelmed with various emotions that I tend to freeze instead of reacting how the person was hoping I would react. Recently, though, I was craving some sort of spark in my life as my week had been feeling kind of boring or slow. Of course, It was odd for me to desire this, but in my mind, I planned to be aware of the situation except it would still be spontaneous. For example, I was thinking my friends and I could book a weekend getaway before school starts again or spontaneously trying a new restaurant with my loved ones. To my surprise, though, I encountered something life changing that not only challenged me, but also helped me grow as an individual and practicing counselor. 

While I will not give too much detail on the incident, I would say it caused me to react instead of freezing like I always did. With this, I came to terms that I do know what to do and what to say on the spot even though I grew up not feeling this way. I learned how capable I am in addition to all the people around me willing to support and listen while I speak my mind out. I was always afraid that my reaction would not be appropriate or be as enthusiastic as expected. Therefore, I preferred to be aware of the situation instead of worrying about my reaction. 

With this, I wanted to share that in life we will never have an answer or be in control of when and why things happen to us, but we do have control over how we react to the situation. I thought to myself, “out of all the things that could have happened to me, this situation occurs?!” I noticed though that this had to happen for me to learn, grow confidence, and also trust myself. Many times, we are dragged into situations or face different obstacles that are not made to harm us, but rather help us discover more about ourselves and show us what we are capable of. For this reason, do not be afraid of the unknown or stress yourself over needing control of the situation. Trust the journey you are facing and when you feel lost, reach out to those who have already been through what you are facing. We have to face the problem to help everyone that comes after us and consider us as role models. Trust me, you are not the only one in the world facing the same situation, hence, do not be afraid to experience something different, but rather find beauty in it. 

Written by : Rachel Garcia; Masters Level Intern at Olive Branch

If you need support, live in the Chicago area, and would like to speak to a professional counselor, please contact Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. at 708-633-8000. We are located at 6819 West 167th Street in Tinley Park, Illinois 60477.