Life can be wonderful, with many blessings. But there will also be unexpected challenges.
How do you deal with it when the storms of life come? Today, I want to help set you up to win, because there ARE ways to increase your position of strength through the challenges, and to bounce back better afterwards.
In order to improve, you first need to assess where you are. Ask yourself the following questions, and visualize whether you are high or low in these categories, which are based on the findings of experts in the field of resilience, as well as on spiritual principles:
Mental Preparedness: “Am I mentally ready to face possible challenges, or feeling like I don’t have the bandwidth or desire to deal with them?”
Equipped: “Am I equipped to deal with challenges, or tending to wing it?”
Relationships: “Do I feel connected to supportive relationships, or out there by myself?”
Well-Being: “Is my inner tank filled with well-being, or am I frazzled and grumpy?”
Self-View: “Am I viewing myself as capable, or as deficient?”
World View: “Am I viewing life with faith and optimism, or like things rarely work out?”
Energy: “Do I have the physical energy to deal with challenges, or am I overwhelmed and worn out?”
Emotional Regulation: “Am I guarding my heart, or am I easily worried, upset or hurt?”
Humor: “Am I able to laugh during trials, or am I heavy and intense?”
The higher you rate in each area, the better you’ll be able to withstand challenges. Thus, the next step is to work on your weakest areas. How? Here are a few suggestions, to get you started:
Have a way to get centered, and do it regularly.
Set your mind to expect challenges.
Compile a list of Bible verses/truths to remember.
Be intentional about nurturing supportive relationships.
Catch negative thoughts and deflect them.
Challenge your negative views.
Fill up your inner well with gratitude, love, beauty, kindness, etc.
Change your schedule so you have more energy.
Work on building faith and trust.
In conclusion, the ability to stand strong comes down to two things: preparedness, and mindset. You have to have the resources to deal with challenges, and you have to be ready to tackle them with faith and positivity.
And that means that you have to be intentional. Just like you purchase insurance, build a savings account, or have a smoke alarm, you need to purposefully equip yourself ahead of time for the struggles to come. Putting in this extra effort is probably not what you want to do. But it’s one of those things that will pay off later.
My friends, I leave you with a blessing. May you face each day with courage, knowing that you are competent, and the Lord is with you. May you have grace on yourself when you feel fragile and overwhelmed.
