Life's Challenges

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they're supposed to help you discover who you are. ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon, Singer/Composer

Friday, January 14, 2011

How To Find Our Way Through Discouragement

1.      Face what you are feeling.  Trying to ignore feelings only leaves us more frustrated and wanting to shut down.
2.      Search for understanding.  See if there are insights in the messiness.
3.      Express anger, disappointment, fear, confusion in healthy ways.
4.      Reach out.  Talk to those you trust.  Listen for clues, within and from others, for how to move on.
5.      Stay open.  Be willing to accept and not get stuck in denial.
6.      Change your thinking.  Sometimes just deciding to stop fretting over something helps us begin to get past it.
7.      Allow some affirmation.  Be with those you love and those who love you.  Take in some good feelings from being in their company.
8.      Extend yourself.  Offer support to someone else who needs some care.
9.      Be aware.  Not everything is ugly or frustrating or hurtful right now.  Look for glimmers of goodness around you.  They are there if we care to search.
10. Treat yourself.  Buy some fresh flowers.  Take a modest shopping spree.  See a movie you like.  Have coffee with a friend.  Sometimes the smallest things have a way of lifting us out of the gloom.

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