Why Dips Happen
First off, dips are an entirely natural part of life! That’s why it’s “dip management,” not “dip elimination.” We need the downs to enjoy the ups and to relate with those whose stories we were born to tell, as creatives! There’s no greater sign of growth than experiencing the downs in that rollercoaster ride, so it’s important to remember: When the dips hit, don’t rush to think there’s something to FIX. Acknowledge the dip, be grateful for the indication that you’re growing, then choose an item from your Dip List to start turning things around. While I don’t want you to wallow in dips, I also don’t want you to rush through them. They have their purpose!
One big tip that will serve you well: Unless it’s just super obvious, don’t try and figure out WHY any particular dip came along. We tend to try and figure out why dips hit because we believe that we’ll feel better if we could just understand *how* we got into this “bad” place. Welp, since the point of trying to figure that stuff out is to feel better, just grab something from the Dip List that you know helps you feel better… then sometime later try to figure out why you got into the lower spot you’ve just left behind (if you even still care by then).
When Dips Happen
You may have entirely different reasons and seasons for dips than other creatives you know. I personally know I’ll always have a dip around my mother’s birthday and another around the anniversary of her death. It’s just a reality of my life that those days require a lot of extra love and patience and breathing and naps in my schedule. I don’t judge myself for this; I plan ahead for it!
Of course, there are dips we can’t plan for — ones that happen due to facing a breakup, being dropped by our reps, having financing fall through on a project, not getting that promotion, or at that moment we see the actor who *did* get the part on that last gig at the next audition. But knowing dips DO come means we can prepare ourselves with ways to move out of the dips so at least after recognizing we’ve entered a dip, we can get to movin’ on up without delay.
As you tune in for this kind of work, begin to notice early warning signs of dips. For me, that’s stuff like becoming more easily offended or reacting more defensively about comments that normally wouldn’t upset me. Things like taking it personally when someone is a reckless driver or a demanding patron at the post office. Just noticing that I’m clocking in for some ego-centered emotional dings is my way of knowing it’s time to grab my own Dip Kit!
Honor Wallow Time without Slashing Your Tires
Decide how much time the dips will get in your life. Make this decision while you’re NOT in a dip. I’ve gotten so practiced at this that I allow myself an hour, tops. Yup. When news comes at me the wrong way and surprises me with a trip to the downs, I get an hour to feel helpless and I get to behave as if I live in the Pit of Despair, and then onward I go! The hubs? He gets a day. You may decide a fight with your roommate is reason for five hours in the downs, a released avail is worth two days, an agent dropping you gets a week, losing your job deserves a fortnight, and your pilot concept getting stolen by a colleague and picked up by a studio earns a month (and a visit to your badass attorney, I hope). Great! Set up that timeline before you’re in the downs and then stick to it when a dip hits.
Know the difference between activities that feed the dips and those that cure the dips. Definitely don’t choose a “feel good” item from your Dip List that you have a tendency to use as a reason to beat yourself up (like calling an ex who initially makes you feel great but later leaves you asking yourself what went wrong or way overindulging in a treat so that you go from enjoying having given yourself the sugar to being cruel to yourself about your willpower). Remember: The definition of poison is *anything* to excess. Be honest with yourself about what on your list has the potential to act as a poison in your system. REMOVE those items from your list when you’re performing maintenance on it over time! Know the difference between what’s a quick fix and what’s quicksand.
As you’re running around in your life — especially when you’re *not* feeling low — pay attention to what turns you on, what thrills you to your core, what excites you for no good reason. Add those items to your Dip List so you have ’em at the ready when you need a go-to to help you out of a dip. Especially if they’re never-fail items! Whatever you do, don’t slash your tires by choosing “make it worse-rs” in your life! Things that make it worse won’t serve you! They’ll only keep you in a dip longer than is necessary and you’ll be well on your way to the most unpleasant of all places: Bitterville.
Tackle This List in (at Least) Five Ways
The power in having this list sorted in various ways is that you’ll never be at a loss for a way to dig in! The time to figure out how to maximize your energy is *not* while you’re in the middle of a dip. 😉 Far better to have a go-to for the times you’re in a dip and also looking to do something alone that costs very little just by checking out your list from those directions! Revisit the MP3 that came with this PDF for the juicy details on sorting.
What I love about adding that sixth way — “How long since last done” — to my list is that it makes it clear that I have activities that always help get me OUT of a dip that I could do way more frequently and, hey, why would I deprive myself of activities that make me happy?!? Whether I’m in a dip or not, these are things I start trying to make a part of my regular schedule once I see how effective they can be.
Our ideal day gets much more in focus when we do more of the things that bring us joy as often as possible! So sort by Free to Expensive, by Solo to Group, by Spontaneous to Planned, by Quick to Longer Duration, and ultimately by Easy to Difficult. When you need to start in on your Dip List from a point of affordability, you’ve got it! If others’ energies are what you’re in need of, grab that group list! If you want to work ahead and have regularly-scheduled dip-prevention playdates on the books, start planning! And when you only have a half-hour to devote to your dip work, that quick list is your friend. 🙂
Overall, this list in these various sort-orders should ensure that you aren’t in the midst of a dip STARTING to figure out what to do to begin climbing out. It’s like establishing your NO line before a compelling but sketchy offer is in front of you. That setting created *before* you’re in the moment of all that emotion is a gift for future you that simplifies everything. Once you’ve played with the list in a few different sort orders, hit it with a highlighter so the most effective items are the easiest to find! Pop a couple of the biggies on Post-It Notes around your workspace. Create reminders to go off weeks and months from now in your calendar.
Have things on hand that you know add to your pleasure. For example, I know a LUSH bubble bath is a great fix for my dips. Welp, if I’ve run out of LUSH bubble bath bars and it’s 3am when a dip hits, I’m screwed for using a very effective (and very 3am-appropriate) method for cheering myself up. So, I make sure I’m always well stocked in LUSH goodies. You may wanna keep your favorite songs in a backed-up playlist rather than having to figure out your Spotify password at a crucial dip moment that a great playlist would’ve fixed.
If you’ve got close friends or accountability buddies who are game to help you in your quest to move through dips with grace, equip them with copies of your top-ranked lists so when you reach out to them for an assist, they know exactly how best to inspire you when you may be feeling like wallowing a little longer (or slashing another tire). And of course, you can offer to do the same for them!
Always Remember…
You’ve got this. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be, learning from life exactly the lessons you’re meant to have. You’ve believed in yourself and you’ve known the depth of your enoughness before and you will again! Knowing you have the ability to weather the downs and your goal of getting better at moving through them *faster* is what makes these dips less of a thing in the big picture. This rollercoaster ride of life is so much fun when we see the dips for what they are: temporary slow-downs of momentum before the climb that takes us to ever-greater tiers ahead!

Hee hee!
Click here to download that MP3.
Wanna watch a walk-thru of the 2021 Dip Kit? Here ya go!
Remember, gorgeous, you’ve GOT this and you are enough! The greatest gift you give to the world is your storytelling, so get back at it! We need you! 🙂
All my love,
Annnnnd now I’ve got a voice memo on my phone of Bonnie telling me “You got this.” Thank you <3
Tee hee. 😉 I’m so glad.
Awww Bonnie! How did I stumble upon this page just now?! I’m leaning into that pronoia concept. = ]
I skipped the first audio file and will come back to this page when it isn’t past my bedtime. (I am eternally grateful to your suggestion during Get In Gear that I sleep more, by the way. I am transformed. You are to thank! )
But the pep talk?! Wow, am I glad that’s here! So fun and awesome. I also just recorded it onto my phone for when that would help.
Thank you!
Oh, yay! 🙂 That makes me so happy, Karen. Good night and here’s to all the rest in the world! You deserve it! 🙂 XO
Love LUSH 🙂 I walk in that store just for a pick-me-up.
Yes! Just thinking about those fizzy and smell-good thingies with all the bubbles makes me so happy!
Omygosh, Carly, Karen, I totally did the same thing! Got a quick pick-me-up-reminder in my voice notes now, lol! Dude, I think the Dip Kit is my favorite now (next to tapping). May the wonderful tools never end! <3
And that last line Bonnie:
"The greatest gift you give to the world is your storytelling…We need you!"
That really struck me. I think as creatives we sometimes forget that what we do helps people in a lot of ways, and we (at least I definitely do) forget we are needed! Thanks for that reminder too Bonnie! You're the best!
Now all I've got to do is get a spa-tub installed so I can get myself some LUSH…lol
Loooooooooovvvvvvveeeee that you’re loving this, La Trice. 🙂 Beautiful!