Things to Remember When You’re Going Through It

A while back I came across this picture on Facebook. I saved it in hopes to use it everyday or whenever I needed it. Sadly it has sat in my photos, only glanced at a few times. I never stopped to give this picture any thought until recently. Here’s the picture:

Like I said, I saved the picture with plans to use during those dark times (and Lord knows I could have used too), but it sat in my phone until I really needed it I guess.

When we are caught between a rock and a hard place and it seems like everything that can be wrong is wrong, we want to throw in the towel. It seems like no matter what we do to try to make any situation better, it only gets worse and there is no hope in sight. Things can change, and they will change. Most people want overnight change and success, and it can be understandable if you take into consideration that someone has been suffering for a long time, but that’s not how things work unfortunately. Change, all change, takes time, hard work, persistence and patience. Think about it, you didn’t just appear one night. Your mother had to carry you for nine months before you were born. You didn’t go to sleep one night at the age of 5 and wake up the next morning at the age of 30 (though sometimes it does feel that way). Patience is key, as hard as it may be.
Remember when you couldn’t walk on your own, tie your own shoes, figure out that one math problem? You eventually figured things out right. Same applies here. Though this challenge may be bigger than learning how to tie your shoes, the point is you’ve faced other challenges in your life before that you thought at one time you would never get through, but you did. You’re going to look back at this challenge in a few years and laugh thinking about how stressed you were about it because you knew all along that you would make it out okay on the other side.
You don’t enter this world knowing everything. Therefore, you are going to make some mistakes here and there. Just chalk it up as a learning experience. They say that mistakes prove that you’re at least trying, and I believe that. You might be trying to do the right thing, but because you’re not sure what the right thing is or how to go about doing the right thing, you make a mistake. We all make them, and it’s okay. Just learn from them and keep moving.
Everything that you want is not good for you. Everything that you want is not good for you. Yes I had to say it twice. You know that good looking individual that you’ve been eyeing at work who smiles at you everyday and brings you coffee every Friday that you’ve just wanting to take home? Well they have a significant other with children they abuse everyday. It can be upsetting not to get what you want out of life, but sometimes there’s a reason you didn’t get, and sometimes that reason is because it wasn’t meant for you. Be appreciative of what you do have and what you get from life, because life doesn’t owe you.
You can’t take life too serious (my biggest problem). You have to “let your hair down” every once in a while and have some fun. Otherwise you’ll end up old, mean and bitter. Laughter is good for the soul. The sun is good for your overall health. Nothing is more relaxing than the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Do you see where I’m going with this? Play just as hard as you work. It’s called balance.
Self care is the most important thing someone can do for themselves. Self care means taking a day or three (lol) to yourself and doing things that make you happy. That could mean cuddling up on the couch, binge watching your favorite shows, chowing down on all your favorite foods, wearing your favorite pajamas with the holes in it, etc. Go get your hair done. Go for that walk. Stay in bed and get those extra hours of rest.
There are some people who just enjoy being miserable and negative and they want others to be just as miserable as they are. These type of people you need to stay away from. Whatever negativity they are trying to sell is not something you need to worry yourself about. Simple as that.
This is something that I have to remind myself of a lot. We get so caught up in that’s going wrong that we forget to pay attention to what’s going right. It could be something as simple as the fact you had enough money to buy yourself something to eat today, or as big as the fact that you woke up, left your house, and made it home safely because there are many people everyday who don’t wake up from last night’s sleep and who don’t make it home from that day’s adventure. There is always something we can be thankful for to look at and remind us that everything isn’t as bad as it seems.

I hope you all can take this list and apply it your lives, make it useful. Share it with your friends and family because we all need a little help and a little reminder every now and again.

Until next time…Caitlyn xo