Do the next right thing

When we are struggling with a feeling or a situation, it can feel like it is going to last forever, and that there is no way that you are ever going to find a solution or feel differently again. We know on one level that time passes, things move on, that we are capable of other feelings, however, particularly when we are in a difficult place, the feelings and situation can feel all consuming and pervasive. We can’t see a way out and spin on all of the options available to us. There is a conflict between your thoughts and emotions, and when we are feeling vulnerable, stressed, exhausted, emotions readily take over.

In 1961, Carl Jung proposed a beautifully simple way of addressing the problem of feeling overwhelmed and being unable to determine what to do to move forward. He was a great believer in a person knowing on a subconscious level what was best for them. He didn’t think that anyone else could tell another person what was right for them. There are no ‘oughts’ in therapy. However, his approach to solving problems was not to spend time in what he called ‘useless speculation’, and what we would likely now call having anxious thoughts, about possible outcomes. Rather, he suggested with beautiful simplicity that ‘if you do with conviction the next and most necessary thing, you are always doing something meaningful and intended by fate.’[1].

If you put this into practice, he doesn’t mean that you need to solve the larger problem straight away, or even think about the end result, but by ‘putting one foot in front of the other’ and making some positive choices that feel right for you, here and now, you will start to shift the dial into the direction of travel that you, in your inner self, want to go. This direction will be aligned with you in your values and your inner sense of self. It is about being grounded in the now, and making choices that feel right now, not worrying about the future.

The ‘next and most necessary thing’ doesn’t have to be big. It can be as simple as going for a run rather than scrolling on your phone, if feels like the natural next thing for you to do, reorganising your to do list to meet your priorities not someone else’s[2],  taking 5 minutes out of a stressful situation to look out of the window and breathe, or choosing to wear a pair of shoes that make you feel good, rather than the ones you are expected to wear.

We all have the power to shift our focus away from uncertainty and things we cannot control into the now, the present, and make choices that feel right for us, and that we can control. They  don’t have to be big, but each time you do this, you are making real changes that are right for you, which make you feel better, reduce your stress levels, and start to re-engage your true self in your decision making, and each small step builds up to a much bigger journey. So what is the next right thing for you?

Get in touch if you want to explore this more, and be guided on how to take the next right steps for you.

[1] https://www.themarginalian.org/2021/12/07/carl-jung-next-right-thing/

[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ordinary-magic/202207/finding-power-in-doing-the-next-right-thing