When Everything Goes Wrong at Once

First published 12 January 2026

I know this is landing in your inbox on a Monday rather than the planned Thursday – and not just any Monday, but supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

Blue Monday!

So, if we’re talking about difficult days, let me tell you about my week.

You know those weeks where it feels like the universe is personally testing you?
 

I’ve just had one.  Car battery died.  Heating packed in.  Computer graphics card on its last legs (down to two monitors now – I know, the horror).  And just when I thought I was done, the fridge freezer decided to join the rebellion.

It’s the kind of week where you can feel the overwhelm rising in your chest, that familiar tightness that says “I can’t cope with one more thing.”

The Power of “Good”

I recently watched a video that shifted my perspective entirely.  When chaos strikes, instead of spiralling into panic or frustration, you pause and say one word: “Good.”

My initial thought was “well, that sounds like toxic positivity…” But, before I wrote it off and pressed skip, the video hooked me back in.

This isn’t about pretending everything’s fine or denying how rubbish it feels.  It’s about creating a crucial moment of space between the problem and your reaction to it.

From a kinesiology perspective, that pause interrupts your stress response. 

When things go wrong, your body immediately activates the sympathetic nervous system – fight or flight mode.  Saying “good” and taking a breath allows you to drop into your parasympathetic system, where you can actually think clearly and problem-solve.

The Metal element governs our ability to let go and process what we need to release.  When we’re stuck in panic, our Lung meridian (this governs breathing and our capacity to take in and release) becomes constricted. 

That single pause?

It literally opens up your capacity to breathe and respond rather than react.

What Happened Next

So here’s how my week actually resolved: my neighbour had a gadget to jump-start the car (it’s now in the garage for its MOT as planned).

The boiler service revealed a loose wire – easily reconnected, and now my house is toasty again.

The computer’s limping along while I research replacements.

And the fridge?  That’s tomorrow’s mission, and that’s genuinely okay.

None of these solutions would have appeared if I had gone into panic mode.

They emerged when I paused, acknowledged the situation, and asked, “What actually needs to be done here?”

Your Turn

This week, when something goes wrong – and something will, because that’s life – try it.

Pause.

Say “good.”

Take a breath.

Then deal with it from a place of calm rather than chaos.

Your nervous system will thank you.  Your Lung meridian will thank you.  And you’ll be amazed at how much more capable you feel.

And if you’re in the thick of it and that pause feels impossible?

Get in touch.

Sometimes we all need someone to help us find our breath again.

With hope (and only two working monitors),

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The fridge freezer update: We’ll see how that goes. Wish me luck!