Cherophobia
Aug 20, 2024
Happy end of summer-ish!
Nearing the end of summer. Mixed emotions. How, in heaven’s name, does time fly so fast? And why can’t the winter months pass as quickly as summer?
It’s almost like an optical illusion…
I wanted to take a minute to wish you all a fabulous week. Hopefully, the sun will stay out for a few more days, and we can enjoy the last licks of pool splashes, family trips, and outdoor BBQs.
Allow yourself to enjoy this! There is an interesting concept that some people (read: lots of people) struggle with, called cherophobia, which means an irrational fear of joy. It’s common for people with traumatic histories—but also for people without traumatic histories—to not allow themselves to be in the moment, always expecting the next step to come, usually waiting for a disaster to hit. Instead of enjoying the goodness that life brings, they become hypervigilant, onto the next thing, often waiting for something to go wrong.
Joy isn’t seen as pleasure. It’s experienced as “anticipatory pain.”
The sun is shining, and my kids are out playing? It’s just a matter of time until they come in filthy and screaming. Two weeks left until summer 2024 is history? What’s the point of enjoying it—school is coming up right around the corner.
NO!
Don’t think like that. If you notice yourself thinking like this, stop yourself and regroup. A great strategy is to use your five senses - a “grounding technique” - to focus on what is going on at this particular moment. Smell the air. Feel the sunshine. Enjoy the sounds of the pool. Taste the ice cream. See the greenery. (And try not to see the mess 😉).
Relish the time.
Enjoy. The. Moment.
No cherophobia for us!
Even though… GULP.
🩷, Shifi
P.S. Time to review You Stink! 😷
