We are not exempt from having bad days. They are part of our growth and learning. Just because some weeks are more difficult than others, we cannot throw in the towel, curl over, and stay in bed indefinitely. While you might feel like doing that during challenging times, it’s important to keep focused on the positives, and face the world bravely despite feelings you might have within telling you to do otherwise.
Here are 11 things to remember when the world feels scary:
1. Sometimes you have to get lost in order to find yourself.
You are not alone in this struggle. Everyone has issues, problems, and obstacles. What feels like a deviation from plan is actually a redirection for something better. You are only responsible for this moment. Allow for the light to cast out the darkness.
2. This is all part of the illusion.
You make your own reality. What seems to be perceived as sad, anxious or fearful may be your soul letting you know that something in the plan is not for you. Take note and do something joyful to get you out of the funk. Go to a park. Take a hike. Watch a comedy. Shifting awareness is a way to recreate your mood.
“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ~ Albert Einstein
3. You don’t need everyone’s approval.
Not everyone is going to agree with your choices. One or two people who disagree with you do not make it a bad decision. Your beliefs change over time and most likely so do your friends and family.
4. You have evolved and you are okay.
Your choices can change from day to day. You are not the same person that you were yesterday. Each day gives you the opportunity to grow. Take on a hobby, a sport, or just find a spiritual practice that can enhance your authentic evolution.
5. Turn one day a week into a mini retreat.
Get offline. Turn off the news. Disconnect from the world. It’s important to take time for you. How can you be helpful to anyone else if you cannot pamper yourself? You need moments of recharging your energy while being away from everything that is a constant bombardment in your life.
6. It’s not a breakdown, it’s a breakthrough.
We have become a society of labels. We are constantly labeling everything in order to make sense of things. When we breakdown we immediately go to find a quick fix. Are you depressed? Suicidal?Bipolar? Sometimes a breakdown is just a simple breaking through a huge challenge or obstacle. There is no need to label it.
7. As soon as you begin to do something, the world starts to shift.
Not doing something, or obsessing about a problem, causes anxiety to escalate. Whenever it begins to feel like hopelessness that’s when you need to do something.
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ~ Rumi
8. Be grateful for everything.
There’s a lesson in each event. Gratitude is a mood shifter. Make a list of at least three things that mattered that day every day. Some days there will be more than three. It’s as simple as, “I am grateful for the sun today.”
9. There are others with the similar problems.
You will not reinvent the wheel. You are not going through something that someone else hasn’t overcome. Sure the events may be different, the obstacles a bit unrelated, but in the end we are driven by similar problems and lessons.
10. Use breathing exercises, visualization, and mantra to help you through this moment.
As per Dr. Herbert Benson in his book, The Relaxation Response, there are three basic mechanics of controlled breathing: (1) inhaling deeply through the nose for a count of five or so, making sure that the abdomen expands; (2) holding breath for a moment; (3) exhaling completely through the mouth for a count longer than that of inhaling. Using a mantra and visualization during the process can shift your mood.
11. Reconnect with friends and family.
We need others. You were not put here on this earth alone. Whenever the world feels scary, you can reach out. Friends and family members help in allowing us to be ourselves. Laughter is the best medicine. Allow for them to be there to help with joy.
Life is a gift that we get to create, reinvent, and live to the fullest of our abilities. Shifting your senses and perception are amazing tools to overcoming the scary days ahead. You are not alone.
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Rumi
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