How to Stave off Insanity in 2 Easy Steps

There’s a quote contributed to R.D. Lang that suggests, “Insanity—a perfectly rational adjustment to the insane world.” This wisdom has seemed, more often than not in recent months, completely reasonable to me. However, insanity comes with all sorts of downfalls, not the least of which is the inability to properly function in said insane world. So, I have refined a two-step plan guaranteed to stave off unwanted insanity (or your money back for asylum fees!):

Step 1: Figure out what keeps you sane.
Step 2: Make damn sure you have access to whatever you decide in Step 1.

I have had to compromise, cut back, give up, and let go quite a bit recently. Sometimes it’s been fairly tolerable. More often…well, not so much. But scattered around in the remains of my life have been beacons to guide me back to the path of sanity when the road gets a bit muddied. All I have to do is recognize them, and then make sure I keep them with me. Simple.

Right.

So, what have I come up with? What constitutes “sanity-preserving?” Sometimes it’s something that makes me smile when I’d rather cry. Sometimes it’s something capable of distracting me from unpleasant thoughts. Maybe I need to be calmed down, or need an excuse to let out some aggression. Whatever it is, I’ve gotten very good at paying attention to what I need, and then supplying myself with the remedies.

Need a surefire way to occupy my mind with something other than what’s going on in my life? School to the rescue! Nothing clears the mind like studying Art of the Novel. Need to laugh? Bring on Jon Stewart. Need an excuse to cry without it feeling random and uncontrolled? I recently went to see Extraordinary Measures. Nothing lets loose the waterworks like Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser trying to save children from an incurable disease (bonus points for being based on a true story!). Books. Movies. Writing. The occasional trip to Cold Stone Creamery. The point is, I have figured out how to get what I need to push back from the insanity table. So far, so good.

Lesson of the Day: Insanity can suck it.