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Life is a journey. As we go along the path of life there are many discoveries waiting for us and many challenges along the way. We do not know what is going to appear along our path and what we will have to face. Among the gifts we have been given to help us are the power of our perception, the ability to adapt and create and our inner power and resilience. What it means to be Human.
We can cause ourselves great suffering by resisting what we have to face, by thinking that it ‘shouldn’t be this way’, that life is ‘unfair’ or simply ‘why me’? When these feelings extend over a long period of time they can be disempowering. It is when we accept ‘what is’ and take action that we step back into control and use our power and creativity to work with what has come our way.
Sometimes life will bring us down to our knees and we may think that we cannot carry on but our resilience is far stronger than we could ever imagine. The belief in life and something far greater than ourselves can give us the strength to contine. The power of hope, a reason for being and the search for meaning can be critical in the struggle for survival, as so eloquently described in
‘Man’s search for Meaning’ written by Viktor Frankl.
In our darkest moments sometimes putting one ‘foot’ in front of the other is all that we can do. After a school shooting in America a young man, who had also been through a similar shooting, reached out to the students involved and gave them the advice to ‘lean into the pain’. In other words he advised them to allow themselves to feel the pain once they had come out of shock. This goes against our natural instinct which is to avoid pain but allowing ourselves to feel the pain and express the emotions is an important part of the journey to recovery and is paramount for our health and well-being.
Being supported by a close network of people, including family, who we trust and who genuinely care about us is important. But who is really there for us in times of crisis can often come as a significant surprise. Often some of the people we thought would be there for us are not. Sometimes it is the kindness of a complete stranger, or someone we hardly know, that is the thing we will never forget.
The challenges we face in life can vary enormously and the effect they have on us will be different according to our experience in life, our general coping ability, our support network and so much more. If someone has had a relatively smooth sailing life, surrounded by people they can trust and a sudden crisis hits them they may not have the same coping ability of someone who has been through a considerable number of challenges and has built up inner strength and resilience.
In challenging times we often focus on what we don’t want rather than what we do.
When we feel we have lost everything it can often be the time of rebirth. Sometimes it may open up an opportunity for us to re-evaluate our life and do what we really want to do and find fulfillment. Little by little life will put us back on our feet again. And through it all we will have become stronger and wiser.
Life is an Inner Game. One of the most important things in life is to have a good relationship with ourselves. When we believe in ourselves and are our own best friend, always staying on our own side, it can make an enormous difference in life. And yet this seems to be an area where so many people struggle. Learning to believe in ourselves and trust ourselves and our own intuition, can be vital and can make a difference to our survival. We have been given a deep inner intelligence to guide us and help us in life, If something doesn’t feel quite right we need to listen to it and trust our own feelings. It is often when we don’t or have been peer pressured into over riding our intuition that it can be costly.
The Fear of what might happen is often worse than the actual reality
Fear is the greatest driving force in humanity. When we are fearful it reduces our cognitive ability, our ability to use critical thinking and logic, in extreme fear it can be difficult to think clearly. When facing a challenge the fear of what might happen and of our ability to cope can be a major factor. It often helps to remember the challenges we have already faced and overcome to keep faith in ourselves. Facing our fears and having a plan of action of how we would cope and survive if they materialise can ease stress and anxiety considerably.
The power of the words we say to ourselves cannot be over-estimated. If we are using negative words to ourselves and creating negative images in our imagination it is extremely disempowering . When we change our inner dialogue to a positive one and imagine the positive outcome we would like it can dramatically change how we feel.
Forgiving ourselves if we feel we have made mistakes or failed in some way is important, for mistakes and failures are an important part of learning. Many of the most successful people in life have made the most mistakes and had the most failures. Beating ourselves up achieves nothing, it just makes us feel even worse. We need to give ourselves love and support through challenging times and be there for ourselves.
When our challenge involves being treated badly by others, remembering that it says more about them than it does about ourselves can help us see the situation more clearly and can be extremely powerful. Staying on our own side, drawing the line sooner and listening to our own intuition, the red flag warnings we may have chosen to ignore, are valuable lessons in life. It is important to surround ourselves with genuine people who encourage us and support us and wish to see us successful. Forgiving those who have hurt us can be liberating if it is genuine. Forgiveness does not condone their behaviour but when we are no longer waiting for something from them, such as an apology, we take back our power and set ourselves free.
It is not the number of times we fall but it is our ability to get back up again which counts.
Doing our own research, particularly in health challenges, gives us back a feeling of control and gives us the knowledge to make informed, balanced choices. Trusting our own intuition and avoiding being peer pressured, which, in itself, is a reason to be cautious, are extremely important. We instinctively know what feels right, it is important to trust our feelings that are there to guide us, our own inner intelligence.
Reaching out and connecting with others can be a valuable source of support. We are never on our own, even if it may sometimes feel like it, there is nearly always someone we can reach out to. When we are on our own and don’t feel that there is anyone there for us, there are often support groups available of people who have been through something similar and who can offer their experience, advice and support.
Taking one day at a time and keeping faith that one day life will become easier helps many people.
The way we look at a challenge and what we create out of it can alter its long-term impact considerably. For instance when we use the experience to help others, whether individually or through support groups, we can find meaning and fulfillment.
Deep mental and physical relaxation during challenging times is crucial to help our minds and bodies re-balance when we may be suffering from stress, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Self-care and the importance of taking time out for ourselves cannot be over-estimated. The Power of touch and the feeling of connection can also be powerful, particularly for those living on their own.
Stilling our minds and being in the present moment can be very helpful for giving ourselves a mental break and can be a wonderful skill to learn. We can also give ourselves a mental break by spending time with friends or by doing and thinking of something completely different which helps our minds to become clear and is important for our resilience.
Having gratitude in life can be extremely powerful and can help us through our challenging times. For there is nearly always something to be grateful for, no matter how small.
Sports and exercise and getting out into nature and back to our roots, can be a wonderful way to release the build up of tension, re-charge and re-balance ourselves . During deep trauma when our lives have been shattered and we feel that there is nothing left to trust, connecting with nature can give us the reassurance that life goes on. It can sometimes be the only feeling of stability that we have. When we watch the sun rise and the sun set, when we watch the tide on a beach coming in and out it can help to heal our soul.
As we move along our journey through life we cannot carry everything in the rucksack on our back. So we learn to let go of what we don’t need, of what no longer serves us at all. We learn to take the valuable lessons with us which we have learnt, that will be useful for the rest of our journey, the knowledge, strength and resilience we have gained, and we leave the rest behind, forever learning and becoming more.
Hypnotherapy can empower you, put you back in control and support you through life’s challenges.
In a session the area you are struggling with will be identified and suitable ideas ‘suggestions’ that support you will be introduced in hypnosis in accordance with your wishes. You will be able to go to ‘your special place’ a place where you feel deeply relaxed and calm and can return to whenever you wish by using an ‘anchor’. You will be taught how to clearly communicate with your mind, how to use inner dialogue, rehearsal and visualisation. A highly individualised audio recording will be made for you to listen to and keep, which will firmly establish the new ideas, for our mind learns through repetition.
Hynotherapy can help you with related stress and anxiety, deep mental and physical relaxation, panic attacks, better sleep, fear, loss, relationship with self, confidence and self-esteem, resilience, better health and well-being, releasing emotions and so much more.
Sessions available online and in person.
Free introductory 30 min phone/ video call offered with no obligation to book a session.
Located in Chamonix, France.
Mind Harmony does not offer medical or psychological advice, nor diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. The information shared by Mind Harmony is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. The content of Mind Harmony is that of a holistic, complementary and alternative therapist and opinions, advice, recommendations and sessions do not constitute the medical advice of a doctor/physician. I am here to support you and help you achieve your goals with warmth, empathy, understanding and total confidentiality.