I Cracked Up My Beautiful Car!!

I was zipping around town the other day having tons of anxiety.  I closed the book on Mom and started working through some of my baggage about romantic relationships and it shook me.

I pulled in to the gas station, distracted by my raging anxiety and hit one of those cement pylons put in place to protect the gas pumps– wedged my charger tight up against the post causing maybe as much as $1500 worth of damage to my car.

Once I realized what I had done, I attempted to free myself.  I had to move the car gingerly back and forth… hearing the door scraaaaape as I tried to dislodge it.  Ugh, God!!

Once I was able to step out of the car, my mind instinctively turned to how I was going to feel about this.  I surprised myself actually.  When I felt the negative thoughts starting to come on, I told myself “STOP”… and then I considered how I would absorb this.  I consciously decided not to start beating myself up over it.  Frustrating yes, but it happens.

This was a huge step for me because I have been working through a whole lot of toxic negative self talk lately.  I was shocked, not only that I recognized my mind starting to go down that road, but also that I could stop it and have so much control over it.

Had I gone down the path of negativity, my mind would have thought of every possible negative thing people could say when they saw it.  I could have thought about what a giant pain in the ass it was going to be to have it fixed, and how much it was going to cost…  It’s funny how your mind is like a magnet, if it decides on negative, it will suck in all kinds of negativity to support that position.  NOT this time thought!

In my mind I said “STOP” and then immediately starting traveling a path of positivity.  We could also use the words Dr. Phil uses in Self Matters..  authentic & Accurate statements.

Frustrating yes, but it happens.  Insurance will pay for the damages.  I’ll figure out a way to get the $500 deductible.  I know plenty of people who has roughed up their cars….  Including The Hunky Mechanic.

He was once backing his $60,000 truck out of the garage and stopped for some reason..   probably distracted.  He’s an overthinker like I am.  He was alerted at the bang of the garage door coming down on the cab of the truck.  In a panic he started moving the truck, trying to get out-of-the-way but instead incurring more and more damage.  Well, if he can do it…

My mind just kept going down the positive road.  Shocks me really….  Ever since I had a car as a teenager, any type of mechanical work needed would hella stress me out.  I have a pretty tight budget, so the thought of having to come up with hundreds of dollars out of the blue was worry OVERLOAD… but this time was different.

I’m still amazed at seeing the therapy working.  I mean, I just don’t know what else to say.  If I was still smashing on myself over any possible misstep, this would have been a miserable experience.  I’d have made it much worse than it had to be.   Instead, it’s simply an inconvenience.  Wow!