HOW TO STAY POSITIVE DURING TOUGH TIMES
During a time like this we can be left wondering why. It is hard to see outside of our immediate circumstances and think there could be any purpose to our pain and struggle. But don’t they say life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% how we respond?
Let’s go on a journey..take a little ride with me and let’s fly above our situation for the moment and examine our past from a panoramic view or bird’s eye point of view.
Think back to the most painful or difficult situation you have experienced in your past.
Now, I want you to think about the biggest blessing that has come as a result of that time. Or the silver lining outcome to your storm, something that could have only happened due to that pain.
For me I can remember being forced out of a job but that outcome led me into the passion I now serve in daily as a new endeavor I never dreamed possible for myself. I remember a relationship I thought was for the rest of my life came to an end without explanation or resolve really. Lastly, nothing really compares to the intense physical struggle I endured when my health took a sudden turn for the worst and I was left couch ridden sick for months.
I have experienced all of these but you know what every single one of these painful circumstances have resulted in pushing me further and further into alignment with my most abundant, fruitful life I never dreamed possible. Without them I would not be where I am today. Although I would never want to go through any of these trials again, I would not trade them for the world for the lessons they have taught me and the blessings they bore.
How have the storms transformed your mind, body, and spirit into a better version of yourself and new potentials for your life? Maybe you cannot yet see it now, but I encourage you to lean in to the trials and utilize the process I’m going to discuss to reap purpose from your pain, and significance from your suffering, especially during the time of a worldwide pandemic.
3 Steps to allow your pain to work for a purpose:
Acknowledge the pain- stop running from it (this is my favorite thing to do!), this is really hard for us busy bodies. Additionally our past cultural conditioning has led us to believe that pain is weakness which leads up to avoiding it altogether. We’re experiencing our pain coming up right now because we can't run to our distractions and all the traumas we’ve pushed down for so long are beginning to surface. Now does it make sense to you why people are hoarding toilet paper? Lol.
Be with the pain, sit with the pain, don’t just run from it, be with it! Meditate on it, journal into it, lift it up in prayer- we must be with the pain, acknowledge it, study it even, for the pain to be released from our body, mind and spirit. For me this process is never willing, often painful, but always results in tremendous relief.
Begin to work the pain for good through gratitude. I keep a gratitude practice through journaling but this could look like writing, meditating, prayer, or whatever method you are able to best express your gratitude!
Let’s use our situation right now- being confined to our homes can look gloomy and a bit bleak for our immediate future. However look at ALL the simultaneous BLESSINGS we're experiencing: more time with family, more sleep, more time to declutter our homes, more time for walks in nature--this time is really abundant, we just have to be able to see it! I am not naive to the hardship of this time either. As a business owner this time is TOUGH, however, if I let my mind focus on the negative outcomes of that pain, I would be limited to the negative realities. By keeping my mind in gratitude and positive thinking I am able to pivot and uncover new potentials through the lens I am viewing my situation. I suggest strictly limiting your mainstream media consumption and TV during this time. Fill your mind with positive podcasts, audiobooks, selective youtube channels, positive music, and meditative silence.
I want to leave you with this FORMULA that will help you view your pain through a different lens and give you a different depiction of your reality. Are you ready for it?
I x F = PR
What does this even mean? Information times your focus equals your personal reality.
Whatever information you feed your mind and focus upon daily will ultimately be your experience in life.
If we are consuming mainstream negative media this bleak outlook will soon become our reality. If we’re scrolling social media absorbing others fear and anxiety we too will be aqueous to this outlook.
Negative media sells, the news too is a business right?
Picture this, you’re walking down the street and you see a newspaper on the stand that says “Beautiful Days Up Ahead”, you smile and keep walking. Compared to seeing the title “Mega Storm on the Horizon” you bet you stop and buy that newspaper!
Finally, whatever lens you choose to view your pain or struggle through will ultimately become your personal reality. I know all the good that has come from the storms in my life are a result of the way I was able to begin viewing these experiences for my good. Right now is the perfect time to begin examining how this struggle and pain in our current reality has a purpose that is working for our good. There is always purpose in our pain, and a significance in our suffering.
With Love,
Jen
