On a daily basis I am continually stunned by the horrific events in this world. There is so much hatred not only on a global scale, but also in our everyday lives. It comes in the forms of impatience, greed, selfishness, and the list goes on. Often when chaos emerges, we react in ways that are less than ideal. Whether it is financial difficulty, lose of a loved one, trouble in a relationship, or global massacre, we are all affected by difficulty more than we would like to admit.
I know that when times get tough I often look for distractions as opposed to facing the reality of a situation. You know the drill… hours on Pinterest, scrolling though social media, binging on Netflix. I actually had to prey myself away from my evening Netflix session to write this blog post. I knew that writing this was more important; however, making myself sit at the computer took will power. It is so easy to give in to the things that feel good in the moment as opposed to dealing what is really bothering you.
After the denial and distractions have been set to the side, we become negative or even angry. “Why, does this always have to happen to me?” “How will I ever fix this situation?” We drown ourselves in negative thoughts and bring on any feeling or emotion that will push us farther on the downward spiral.
The truth is that there is beauty in the difficulty. There is always a lesson or purpose that comes with a burdensome time. We must remember that gold is found in the dirt of the earth. Thus there is something precious that can come from something ugly. When I am feeling down or overwhelmed by life there are a few things I like to do to remember the beauty in the difficulty.
1. Pray
I am sorry but that is the honest answer. There is no way I would ever be able to get through a hard time without God’s guidance. He makes all things work together for our good.
2. Get Outside
There is something about nature that makes me so reflective. Taking a walk and being around beautiful things makes me realize what is important in life again. Breathing in the fresh air and taking a moment to BE STILL is worth it’s weight in gold.
3. Write in a Gratitude Journal
When things are hard we often forget about all the other wonderful things we have been blessed with. Taking a moment to list all of things you have in your benefit is a very healthy exercise. No matter how difficult life may be there is always something to be grateful for.
4. Read an Uplifting Book
Books change me. I believe that you become what you read. And if you read positive and uplifting material, you will become positive and happy! We spend so much time reading garbage on our phones all day and articles like…”Kardashians Get Plastic Surgery Again…” But I think we could use that time to feed our mind something better.
5. Try to Search for the Lesson
Instead of wishing away your woes take a good hard look at the situation and see if there was a way you could have prevented it or make it better. When we do this we can potentially save ourselves from future hurt or bad situations. Make a list ways you CAN help the situation. That way you will feel more in control. Your future self will thank you.
Life can be hard. But we are all in this together. Life can also be fun and glamorous. But how would we truly appreciate the lavish times without knowing the struggle? See the beauty in it all.