What the five minute theory was inspired by
I asked Morrie if he felt sorry for himself.
“Sometimes, in the mornings,” he said. “That's when I mourn. I feel around my body, I move my fingers
and my hands-whatever I can still move-and I mourn what I've lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in
which I'm dying. But then I stop mourning.”
Just like that?
“I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life. On the people who are coming to see me. On the stories I'm going to hear. On you-if it's Tuesday. Because we're Tuesday people.”
I grinned. Tuesday people.
“Mitch, I don't allow myself any more self-pity than that. A little each morning, a few tears, and that's all.”
I thought about all the people I knew who spent many of their waking hours feeling sorry for
themselves. How useful it would be to put a daily limit on self-pity. Just a few tearful minutes, then on with the day. And if Morrie could do it, with such a horrible disease …
Also what inspired the five-minute theory. Whenever I get upset, I set the timer to five minutes and let myself cry it out. Let the feelings of overwhelming hopelessness crush me (lol drama queen) and surprisingly, after being all cried out.. things start picking back up again.
“Sometimes, in the mornings,” he said. “That's when I mourn. I feel around my body, I move my fingers
and my hands-whatever I can still move-and I mourn what I've lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in
which I'm dying. But then I stop mourning.”
Just like that?
“I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life. On the people who are coming to see me. On the stories I'm going to hear. On you-if it's Tuesday. Because we're Tuesday people.”
I grinned. Tuesday people.
“Mitch, I don't allow myself any more self-pity than that. A little each morning, a few tears, and that's all.”
I thought about all the people I knew who spent many of their waking hours feeling sorry for
themselves. How useful it would be to put a daily limit on self-pity. Just a few tearful minutes, then on with the day. And if Morrie could do it, with such a horrible disease …
Also what inspired the five-minute theory. Whenever I get upset, I set the timer to five minutes and let myself cry it out. Let the feelings of overwhelming hopelessness crush me (lol drama queen) and surprisingly, after being all cried out.. things start picking back up again.