mirror, mirror

i finally had the chance to see black swan today.  one of the elements clearly depicted in the movie was how natalie portman's character, nina, faced pressures from all sides of her life -- from her overbearing mother, from her artistic director, from a rival ballerina, and most of all, from herself.  the burden she placed on herself to be perfect was so immense that the line between reality and fantasy began to blur with the disintegration of her mind.

often, i think we are affronted by stress in our lives, from work or school, from personal affairs.  the demands for success, to make our parents proud, to take care of ourselves and our families is very real.  i remember a very dark time during my college career when i had to confront these expectations head-on, knowing that whatever i decided would hurt or disappoint someone, but that ultimately the choice was mine, and mine alone to live with.

in those times when i am at my limit, stressed out and burned out, overloaded and frazzled, i am reminded that i need to stop obsessing over things out of my control.  to breathe.  to remember that we can not always avoid the stressors in our lives, but that we can curb how they affect us. 

metaphorically speaking, it's like looking in the mirror and reflecting on what is really there, rather than what could be.  it's affirming who we see staring back at us, rather than focusing on the distorted image our distress embodies.