When Adversity Strikes
These can be dark times when your plate is overflowing with challenges. So dark that you may have forgotten about the spirit of overcoming that you’ve called upon many times. When the unbelievable happens, it takes time and strength to recover your old self who meets challenges and finds a way to cope. Self-esteem, without doubt, has suffered.
Finding perspective is the answer. And grieving the loss. Difficult times are generally about loss–loss of self, abilities, a part of your identity, another person, possessions–the list of possible losses is long. At first, you may even think that you will handle whatever…; then as time passes, the loss may take over to where you lose faith in yourself and become mired in the confusion the loss brings.
Learn to go “inside” and find ways to reduce stress by centering yourself and controlling anxiety.
Loss Causes A Refocus, A New Direction
Making headway in clearing the confusion rests upon sorting out the importance of various aspects and resolving the emotional reactions–no easy task! It could be thought of as a values clarification: “I have no other path than to ultimately accept the loss, and find a new direction.” Down the line, sometimes way down the line, the events with which you are struggling now, are possibly seen as a blueprint for growth. Working through “acceptance” creates numerous ups and downs–a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts.
Reaching Deep Within
Now is the time to identify your options. No, you would not have chosen the loss, but what paths are now open to you? Who/what are your resources? Do you need professional help to recover? Can you renew old strengths used in other situations? It is a time of self and resource searching.
Making small gains one day and doing the same the next is often the blueprint. Set backs are inevitable. So, you hunker down and do the best you can. Ask for help.
Perhaps, one day you will again see the sunset, notice the blue of the sky, hear the birds, visualize yourself in your own special place and use all your senses to enhance the visualization–sight, hearing, kinetic movement of your body, smell, taste. Rework your self until the indomitable spirit emerges.
The least you need to know:
1. Loss is intimately involved in adversity.
2. Work through acceptance.
3. Find strengths; no harm in asking for help.
Your mission, should you choose to accept, requires:
1. Stay the course.
2. Accept the inevitable.
3. Watch for signs of the indomitable spirit returning.
