Pulling through a difficult time

Pulling through a difficult time can be so hard. We all go through difficult times – if you are engaged in life, you can’t avoid them no matter how strong you are, or enlightened. So, since they can’t be avoided, the real question is what you can do to help yourself pull through a difficult time. There are three principles I want to share with you that should make the transition easier.

Three principles to help you pull through a difficult time

First of all, know that it will not last. Just as night follows day, spring follows winter and a rainbow follows a storm, this too shall pass. The comfort of that knowledge can soften the experience.
Be gentle with yourself. Many of my clients respond to a difficult time by berating themselves. Quite strongly. This simply adds to the burden of the situation. Examples are “I’m pathetic” or “I’m useless” or “I’m weak”. The truth is that our resilience wavers depending on what is happening to us but also how much self-care we engage in. So, as well as being careful what you say to yourself, a difficult time is the perfect time to make sure you eat well, stay hydrated, exercise, rest and make sure you get quality sleep. Of course sleep might be affected by what you are going through but my Sleep Well MP3 may help. Be as gentle with yourself as you would to a friend who is going through a hard time. The more you practice self-care, the less difficult those difficult times will be because you will have built your internal resources to be able to cope more easily.
Observe The Serenity Prayer: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” It is so powerful and releases you from a lot of ‘efforting’ by trying to change reality. Focus on doing what you can to resolve a difficult situation – whatever is in your influence or control – but after that it is a matter of stoic acceptance so that you can move on. That in itself is a growth experience.

A difficult time doesn’t have to break you

A hard time doesn’t have to break you. In fact, with the right approach, it can even make you: learn from experience to help you develop and grow as a human being, as a human doing.