Winds are a funny thing. There are all kinds of varieties of winds, and just as many names in many different languages.
For our purposes, we're thinking of "winds" as life events.
And just like life, there is an amazing array of wind types, everything from benign relaxing breezes, to restless pre-storm wind, to tornados and those kinds of winds that whip up sand storms in deserts.
Some wind types are perfectly harmless; we even think some are romantic- like a tropical breeze at sunset, maybe? Some aren't harmful exactly but can be darn irritating or bothersome. Some are mildly dangerous under some circumstances, and others are dangerous no matter what the situation.
To give life even more variety, different winds affect people differently. Some people really like wind in general (people who like to sail even depend on it!), while others are quickly bothered or disturbed by wind. Wind can make some people very anxious, even damagingly so. This partly has to do with what innate kind of puzzle we have- some people have the equivalent of steel puzzles, others have wood, others cardboard... (this isn't a moral thing or a character flaw thing- it's simply a fact- puzzles are made of many different substances- just like we all have are own unique genetics that are handed down through our families- for all you judgmental perfectionists out there, you aren't allowed to interpret what I'm saying as "oh, Johanna's saying I don't have the perfect puzzle type so I'm a failure... nice try though...)
There are the kinds of winds that overwhelm pretty much anyone and everyone- war, for instance. And there are the kinds of winds that can be damaging or even lethal but seem more subtle (not glaring and blatant like a war type of wind). There are acute winds (big, one-time events, like a massive hurricane or a rape, for example), and there are long-term, chronic winds that wear away at us over time (growing up being raised by a parent who suffers from chronic, long-term depression; domestic abuse; suffering chronic anxiety; being viciously teased chronically at school or by a sibling...).
Sarah, you say you haven't suffered any big winds. I hear that a lot from people. Maybe you haven't had one big acute wind (and I'm thrilled for you if you have not- it's so great to have been spared any huge wind in a life), but perhaps you've experienced constant, chronic winds of some sorts.
Also, remember, that when we're children, we experience winds as much more confusing and threatening than when we're adults.
As adults we can reason through what the wind might be- and we have history and experience to draw on to help us categorize the wind. We also have far more developed cognitive capacities than when we're children, and we can use them to gather information and acquire answers/data/evidence that can help us deal with whatever wind we're up against. It may be that you experienced certain types of winds as a child that felt more overwhelming then than they might now that you're an adult.
We also can accidentally cause ourselves wind, even though that seems strange, and even though we'd never want to do that to ourselves! For instance, people that worry horribly, even in the face of evidence that everything's ok, cause themselves a lot of extra wind (the kind that wears away at you and wears you down over time). And people for whom a medication for anxiety or depression would be really, really helpful but who won't let themselves take it cause themselves extra wind.
The moral of the story, as usual, is that it's a good idea to get familiar with what kinds of winds we face in our lives- those ones that are historical as well as those that are currently with us. The more familiar we are with them, the more power we have to help ourselves be prepared for them and deal with them when they come- and to understand which ones we need not be afraid of and which ones, in the face of which, we need to run for the hills.
Winds are a funny thing. There are all kinds of varieties of winds, and just as many names in many different languages.
For our purposes, we're thinking of "winds" as life events.
And just like life, there is an amazing array of wind types, everything from benign relaxing breezes, to restless pre-storm wind, to tornados and those kinds of winds that whip up sand storms in deserts.
Some wind types are perfectly harmless; we even think some are romantic- like a tropical breeze at sunset, maybe? Some aren't harmful exactly but can be darn irritating or bothersome. Some are mildly dangerous under some circumstances, and others are dangerous no matter what the situation.
To give life even more variety, different winds affect people differently. Some people really like wind in general (people who like to sail even depend on it!), while others are quickly bothered or disturbed by wind. Wind can make some people very anxious, even damagingly so. This partly has to do with what innate kind of puzzle we have- some people have the equivalent of steel puzzles, others have wood, others cardboard... (this isn't a moral thing or a character flaw thing- it's simply a fact- puzzles are made of many different substances- just like we all have are own unique genetics that are handed down through our families- for all you judgmental perfectionists out there, you aren't allowed to interpret what I'm saying as "oh, Johanna's saying I don't have the perfect puzzle type so I'm a failure... nice try though...)
There are the kinds of winds that overwhelm pretty much anyone and everyone- war, for instance. And there are the kinds of winds that can be damaging or even lethal but seem more subtle (not glaring and blatant like a war type of wind). There are acute winds (big, one-time events, like a massive hurricane or a rape, for example), and there are long-term, chronic winds that wear away at us over time (growing up being raised by a parent who suffers from chronic, long-term depression; domestic abuse; suffering chronic anxiety; being viciously teased chronically at school or by a sibling...).
Sarah, you say you haven't suffered any big winds. I hear that a lot from people. Maybe you haven't had one big acute wind (and I'm thrilled for you if you have not- it's so great to have been spared any huge wind in a life), but perhaps you've experienced constant, chronic winds of some sorts.
Also, remember, that when we're children, we experience winds as much more confusing and threatening than when we're adults.
As adults we can reason through what the wind might be- and we have history and experience to draw on to help us categorize the wind. We also have far more developed cognitive capacities than when we're children, and we can use them to gather information and acquire answers/data/evidence that can help us deal with whatever wind we're up against. It may be that you experienced certain types of winds as a child that felt more overwhelming then than they might now that you're an adult.
We also can accidentally cause ourselves wind, even though that seems strange, and even though we'd never want to do that to ourselves! For instance, people that worry horribly, even in the face of evidence that everything's ok, cause themselves a lot of extra wind (the kind that wears away at you and wears you down over time). And people for whom a medication for anxiety or depression would be really, really helpful but who won't let themselves take it cause themselves extra wind.
The moral of the story, as usual, is that it's a good idea to get familiar with what kinds of winds we face in our lives- those ones that are historical as well as those that are currently with us. The more familiar we are with them, the more power we have to help ourselves be prepared for them and deal with them when they come- and to understand which ones we need not be afraid of and which ones, in the face of which, we need to run for the hills.