Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Blah!

Blah!
©Allen Merritt (2015)

I’m sure I don’t really need to ask this, but have you ever had a day where you felt the “Blahs?” Or, everyone in your life seems to be talking annoying nonsense and at some point all you hear is, “Blah-Blah-Blah?” You know, one of those days where you are dragging yourself around and appear to be going nowhere fast until it becomes excruciatingly aggravating and you think your head might pop off? Well, then, you understand what it is like to have a case of the “Blahs!”

Today, I’d like to make a case for the “Blahs.”

According to a dictionary definition of the word “Blah,” ᶦ it refers to that which is dull, boring, uninteresting, without any kind of energy or enthusiasm. It is lethargic and conveys a sense of dissatisfaction. No doubt, there are times when it becomes difficult to pull yourself up and out of those doldrums. For me, sometimes I need to slap myself and shake it off, because if I let it, that “Blah” feeling can linger all day long. Life is too short to sit in that place for longer than a minute. Needless-to-say, I always feel better once I push myself over the threshold and focus my mind on something. For example, if I know I should go down to the gym and get a little exercise, then the first step to getting there and forgetting the doldrums is to get dressed in my workout clothes, pack my activity bag and put the keys in my hand and make my way to the door. Once I get there and start stretching, warming up and doing a few things, I have already been successful in moving on from those ‘Blahs.” However, if I let myself sit around, twiddle my thumbs, sigh a lot, let my mind wander off starring into space, then I am defeated. What a waste! The key is to notice it right away, be conscious enough to stop it before it gets out of hand and do not let anything deter or talk you out of moving on and accomplishing something good for yourself.

Now, there are other times where those “Blahs” can be beneficial, because they give you a chance to think, re-consider, imagine, brainstorm and troubleshoot things. In those moments a solution may appear. In either case, the “Blahs” prove themselves helpful if we refuse to allow them to bite us in the backside and hold us back.

The plural version of the “Blahs” (Blah-Blah-Blah) refers to inane, nonsensical and pretentious babble where you may find yourself wanting to scream, “Shut up already!”  I would dare say most people experience this due to impatience, time constraints, a desire to filter out those things unproductive to a situation and more. Unfortunately, this social enigma can only be controlled under certain circumstances and often affects us only to the extent we allow it to. The positive swing on this is how one responds by either contributing or changing the topics, expressing ourselves appropriately or choosing to excuse ourselves from the chatter. The operative here is choose or choice to change the situation.

Interestingly, after conducting a little research, I discovered a fun place you can go if you feel the need to be the one initiating the “Blah-Blah-Blah.” Sometimes your venting is a “Blah-Blah-Blah” to someone else. If you Google the word “Blah,” you will find there is actually a website that hooks you up with a listener (or you can be the listener) which allows you to ventilate. The purpose is to help people lighten their load and smile again without scarring off family, friends and your latest date. It’s cheaper then psychotherapy. It’s called BLAHTHERAPY.COM. Everyone needs someone to talk to every once in a while to shake off the wackiness going on in the world. As human beings, we want someone to listen to us and allow us to express. Otherwise, we pull ourselves down into a world of re-hashing and negativity that no one wants to be around. Now, nothing can replace a mental health and wellness professional, but in certain situations a simple ‘let it out and let it go’ moment is effective for moving onward.

Maybe having a case of the “Blahs” is an opportunity and/or warning sign pushing you forward toward a state of creativity and productivity. Something inside you needs your attention. It needs you to push past the chatter and the clutter. Taking advantage of such opportunities determine the outcomes. Make sense, or is this becoming a little too much ‘Blah-Blah-Blah?”?

Please share your ideas and comments by contributing to the comments below. Feel free to SHARE this page with others.

Cheers!



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