A hard day can sometimes be a great teacher if we stop for reflection ~ Madisyn Taylor
In any given day, there is no shortage of stress and difficulties to move through that can chip away at personal wellbeing. In the world, humanity is struggling with the fallout from a global pandemic, political unrest and economic issues. On an individual basis, the same issues have impacted every aspect of daily living including work, social life, parenting, finances and most significantly, peace of mind. Any ‘new normal’ day can in itself be challenging to navigate but when it seems like a tsunami of events conspire to cause no end of trouble, it makes life especially challenging.
We all have faced times that are just hard and endlessly difficult, times when we have somehow become hapless victims of a relentless flow of one bad thing after another happening to us, times when we don’t get a chance to catch our breath or when we just cannot catch a break.
In the midst of such tough experiences, we have a choice. We can stay and fight through the challenges before us or we can retreat, regroup, refresh and perhaps carry on later with a fresh perspective and different approach. Both options are always on the table and each is equally valid. Both options can also be a teachable moment from which we can grow.
When we successfully navigate difficult situations and intolerably stressful days we can:
- see just how much strength, courage and creativity lies within us
- build resilience to face new experiences or uncertain futures with less fear
- reflect on and adjust the approach we used for future responses
- become better acquainted with our intuition and inner resources and learn to trust them
- discover that retreat may give us an opportunity for reflection, greater insight and more effective next steps to take
- grow our self-confidence and self-esteem
- stretch our comfort zone and become more at ease with emotional upheaval
If we allow ourselves to step into and through the hard and challenging times in life, and if we choose to face such hardships with awareness, we can come away with valuable knowledge and wisdom, greater understanding of self, less fear of the world and an expanded capability to cope with the tumultuous times that is the current reality.
