Life is a Sine Wave

So the former science teacher in me has to concede to daughter of a math teacher that is equally alive in me - Life is a Sine Wave NOT an Inclined Plane (Sorry simple machines)


(And, yes this is another spin on the "Life is a Journey Not a Destination" theme. What can I say, at the core of most cliches are undeniable, sparkling truths.) 


I've learned this lesson over and over again in my life:


Homesickness - it's not something that you "beat" one time and then you're done with it. It comes and goes in waves.


Children's development - Often kids will try something new or seem to reach a developmental stage only to stop or seemingly "regress". This could be food or a skill or anything really. It could be their moods. It could be their ability to sit through a church service. It all waxes and wanes. 


Relationships - Again, I think about my children. Marisol's "adjustment" to being a big sister was not a one-time event. Her relationship with her brother is like all human relationships - it has its ups and downs. As their parent I can do many things to help them understand and weather these different phases of their relationship. And of course we can see similar trends in all of our relationships.


Energy - Our overall energy ebbs and flows. Honestly, after a rip-roaring start to 2013, March was a little bit subdued for me. I had days in which I struggled. I felt very emotional. In the midst of this different energy I did some things that helped a lot though. I connected more with my loved ones. I meditated. I took more time away from the computer. And in the past few days I've felt the energy coming back up. (Hooray for Spring and new beginnings!)   

More Sin Wave Art

These are just a couple of the examples that jump to my mind. But really we can see this idea in just about everything in our lives. It's about the flow and change and different seasons in life. The only constant thing is change. 


And actually a simple Sine Wave doesn't even tell the whole story. Because even a Sine Wave is very predictable and regular. But in actuality life may look more like this: 

Sometimes we stay close to our "baseline" so that it almost looks like we are on an even keel. And sometimes we stray from our baseline a LOT (look at those huge waves and crests! My what a large Amplitude you have there, Grandma Sine Wave... oh wait, never mind.) 


But what about our baseline? Are we not in control of this at least a little bit? I believe we are. We can raise our energy level (what some call our vibration). This might look something like this:

That's why it's so important to take care of ourselves and notice what helps us feel good in our everyday lives. 


But, I also am finding how important it is to not fight things. Someone told me recently that feelings are neither good nor bad - that we should let ourselves feel them so we can process them and release them. This has been a very helpful idea to me recently. What does this have to do with my Sin Wave analogy? Well, I guess it means that I let it happen. That it's ok to have dips and troughs in my emotional landscape. I definitely try to "fight" my feelings sometimes and it just isn't helpful. Partly because I'm trying to beat feeling bad with my mind.


But if I can surrender to the feelings, while continuing to make choices that I *know* from experience are good for me, then I can ride it out. And then my baseline level of feel good can rise back up more easily.


So there you have it. Life is a Sine Wave. 


What are things you do when you're feeling low? Have you found things that help you bounce back quicker, or do you just need to let life run its course?