Mind the Gap (And Your Own Sanity While You’re At It)

You've heard it before. You're standing at the train station, half-watching the tracks, half-wondering if you have time for a coffee before the train arrives, when over the speakers comes that familiar warning.

"Mind the gap."

It is painted on the platform in big yellow letters, as if to say "Lads, don't be making a hames of this. Watch where you're stepping." Fair enough. No one wants to take an unexpected trip between the train and the platform.

The more I think about it, the more I realise we spend half our lives minding gaps we do not even notice.

The gap between who we are and who we think we should be.

The gap between what we want to say and what actually comes out of our mouths, usually something entirely different with an awkward laugh thrown in for good measure.

The gap between feeling grand and feeling like you have just been hit by the emotional equivalent of a double-decker bus.

Without thinking, we just mind them. We sidestep, we adjust, we make ourselves smaller or stretch ourselves thin to avoid falling into the spaces in between.

Sometimes, it is not about avoiding the gap. Sometimes, you need to look at it. Sit with it. Figure out why it is there and what it is trying to tell you. Maybe it is time for a change. Maybe you need to cut yourself some slack. Maybe it has just been a long week, and you need a nap and a cup of tea.

Whatever it is, you do not have to stand there staring at the gap forever. The platform is still solid under your feet. When you are ready, you can take a step forward.

If you misstep, it is not the end of the world. Mind yourself and maybe grab a helping hand.

If you are feeling stuck, anxious, or like you are permanently hovering at the edge of something you cannot quite name, I am here to listen. No nonsense, no judgment, just a space to figure it out, one step at a time.

Michael Keelan Psychotherapy

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