Momentai, Henry
I’m a total nerd. Geek. Weirdo. Whatever you want to call me. I’ve always loved fantasy movies, books, anime shows, etc. Let me age myself by saying that I was in elementary school when Pokemon debuted. It was a huge deal. Besides the show, everyone was collecting and trading Pokemon cards, too. Even at our age, fights broke out over this game. Pokemon trading was banned from my elementary school. Parents were called when cards were traded during recess on the sly. It was like the black market - seven-year-olds sneaking prized Charizard cards to one another under their winter coats, while hiding on the playground slide.
But while everyone else was obsessing over Pokemon, I discovered the wondrous world of Digimon. It was more real to me because it wasn’t about kids “catching them all” and gaining more monsters. No, Digimon was about digital monsters that found the kids to help them battle real-life villains. Real-life struggles and real-life lessons learned. Friends who had disagreements, siblings who looked out for one another, overprotective parents - all things that I saw in real life but learned how to handle by watching this kid’s cartoon.
One character, Henry, had a tendency to freak out a little bit. I mean, he was cool and collected most of the time, but every once in a while you’d see his worry, concern, fear, anger, or anxiety. One beloved little digital monster would oftentimes look up at this kid and say these two little words, “Momentai, Henry.”
Momentai - which means “take it easy.” The Digimon uses this phrase as a casual farewell, as a scolding, and as an easy reminder. Specifically, it’s a reminder for his friend, Henry, to take a moment and relax.
This little phrase stuck with me through the years. I’m someone who is easily afraid. Afraid of getting physically hurt, afraid of offending someone unintentionally, afraid of not doing a job well. I’m a Type A, perfectionist, people pleaser. I worry a lot. I wish I didn’t, but then I worry about worrying.
But instead of berating myself, feeling discouraged, or giving up, I learned to give myself a break and say “Momentai, Henry!” A fun, easy way to remind myself to take it easy. Most of the time, this helped me remember that the situation before me wasn’t as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. The stress I was feeling was only brought on by me - not others. My close friends know this phrase, too, because of me. They use it as a kind way of telling me to chill out! Code words to say “TK, take a breath. It’s no big deal.” I don’t need to stress about the details, the planning, or not being in control. Just chill, and enjoy the moment with my friends. This little code word/phrase is a gentle reminder to take it easy and not overthink things. So next time you’re feeling stressed, Momentai!
Challenges/Points:
The situation that’s stressing you out may not be as big as you think.
Don’t beat yourself up for your reaction to stressful situations.
Find yourself a phrase or word that can be a gentle reminder, a light-hearted keyword, to pause and reevaluate your situation without getting upset.
Questions:
Do you recognize high-stress moments when you’re in the thick of them? Are you able to recognize what’s happening then step back?
When was a recent moment when you really needed to momentai but didn’t?
What would have changed if you had a light-hearted reminder to chill out and take it easy?
To talk more about this or something else on your mind text the number 494949 to chat with our team or visit RemedyLIVE.com/chat anytime, day or night.
Did someone send you this post, and you want to subscribe to our free self care guide? Text CARE to 494949 to receive daily posts.
