Struggles are part of life. There are hundreds of reasons why you might be unhappy at any point in time. High stress or worry or pain may be part of your everyday life. Or you may feel stuck or unhappy. Or you may be ill, strapped financially, or dealing with loss.
You are not alone. We all have these situations or disruptions in our lives. On top of that, the more our world struggles, whether it be through natural disasters or human-made disasters, the more we seem to suffer. Add the stresses of the world to the daily stresses each individual faces along with life-altering events, and it can be too much.
I have found that specific events usually set it off to the point that it makes you feel overwhelmed or depressed. The stronger the emotional reaction to the event, the more altered you feel inside of you. They have proven that your brain takes a picture or snapshot when there are stressful things happening in your life, and that becomes your memory and affects how you respond. We think based on past experiences. A previous defining moment can change a person’s outlook and response to life events. It can impact whether you feel sad, angry, resentful, or if you can flow with the outcome. If we change our thoughts and emotional response to the event, we can change our outcome.
Victor Frankl, a survivor of the concentration camps, is a perfect example of this. He says you must take every situation and put a space between the situation and how you respond to it. Don’t let the event impact you, choose how you will react to the event. When something happens outside of you, you will have a corresponding thought. Those thoughts are influencing how you react emotionally. Your thoughts are causing those emotions.
A brief technique that I can share with you is for you to stop and center by breathing deeply. Then ask why you feel a certain way in response to an event or specific stimuli. Ask yourself what purpose or message the situation or event has for you. Most likely, the negative energy response was created out of a need for protection or attention. Once you understand this, it is easier to let go of it. Ask if it benefits you to hold onto this feeling or reaction. If not, let that feeling go. Tell it you are releasing it as it no longer serves you. Then in your mind’s eye, replace it with something that does benefit you.
It is my goal to help as many people as possible to end their personal suffering and bounce back stronger than ever. I am writing a book and creating a training program to help people overcome the impact of these life events and the resulting feelings. The secrets shared by scientists and leaders that I have learned from will be included in the book. The book will offer tools to help you move forward. If you are ready today and do not want to wait for the book to be published, then reach out to set up a complimentary coaching session to see how I can help. https://marlawilliams.net/contact/
