“Hardships often prepare ordinary people, for an extraordinary destiny.”-C.S. Lewis
It’s not easy to go through adversity and overcome. It’s not easy to breathe when you feel your heart pounding. It’s not easy to move through the journey of resilience, but you are capable and can get through it.
Here are some of my favorite tips for bouncing back:
Acknowledge. Notice and become aware what you have been through and how it has effected your overall well-being. Mind, body and soul.
It takes a village. Use your supports, and if those are limited, find them. Family, friends, social groups, church, etc. whoever and whatever brings you comfort, in times you find challenging, can help ease the pain of feeling like you are doing this alone.
You are so much stronger than you think. Reflect on what has already helped you get you through this particularly rough time and what YOU did to not fall completely apart. Did you incorporate running into your morning routine? Did you let someone know you needed help? Did you start feeling grateful for the things you already have? Whatever it was, really look and you’ll see that you are already doing things that have aided in your healing.
Acceptance. Acceptance is not easy. It’s the last step in the grief and loss cycle, and that is for good reason. It can feel like a roller coaster of emotions before arriving to your final destination, but when you do, there is a stronger you waiting to meet you.
Try re-framing. Instead of feeling like, “why did this happen to me?” Maybe try thinking “why did this happen for me?” When you think the latter, you begin to move into gratitude, forgiveness and finding your peace.
Self-care. I cannot preach enough about self-care. Self -care is a huge shield that can better protect against things like depression, anxiety, stress, panic, etc. Choose something to do daily for your physical, spiritual, mental and emotional self.
Hope. In a time when we feel completely hopeless and helpless, choose hope instead. Choose emotions that reinforce hope and remind you that in the past when you might have felt unpleasant feelings and gone through challenging times, you were able to overcome them.
Compassion. It takes time. It takes time to heal and there is so much growth in each step. You will find yourself, grow, adapt and the more patient you are with yourself during this process, the more able you are to recognize how strong you are to withstand all the adversity you have experienced.
Adversity. Find meaning in adversity. I’d like to think our higher power puts us through things because we don’t grow in our comfort zones. We grow when our spirits are shook and we feel like we are falling apart. At the time, we might not be grateful for this change, but there is something so beautiful that takes place when we overcome and prevail.
I hope you found these tips useful and helpful!
Live mindfully, hopeful and persevere.
Until next time!
Claudia Stanley, LMSW
Flourish with Hope 