Life is Hard (and that’s ok)
When you were younger, did you ever have someone tell you "life is hard" or "that's the way it is"? I've been thinking a lot about this recently, how we're told that life is hard, but no one really ever talks about what that means.
I feel like we're inclined to think about tangible things that make life hard. Like various "adulting" responsibilities; paying bills, making sure kids stay alive, trying to fit in 25 hours of life in 24 hours, balancing a relationship, career, working through health scares, unexpected and expected loss, when things don't work out the way we hoped, etc.
But what about how hard it is to keep your sh*t together mentally & emotionally?
I think it's fair to say that we haven't done a great job, as a culture, of talking about how hard (and typical) it is to feel like you are just a few steps ahead from deep depression, giving up, overwhelm, and feeling like nothing is working out in your favor, amirite? And perhaps, in these times, you've felt the seduction of your old habits of coping and survival pulling you to the "dark" side, but intellectually, you know this may not align with your current aspirations of growth and resilience, so there you sit, in the middle of the ease of old ways and challenge of the new ways, where it feels really f'ing hard to be.
Have you found yourself in this space before?
Me too.
But somehow, I find myself writing this blog post and you find yourself reading it ❤️
So tell me, love, what did you do to get to today? Because you did something, and maybe you slid into some techniques you learned through the years to survive, and maybe you employed some techniques you've learned more recently to thrive. Either way, you're here, and I'm grateful for it, because I believe we are able to come through these hard times for a bigger purpose that we may or may not have connected with yet, but it's there.
While we can talk about different strategies to employ to help hold ourselves together, I often think, do we really need one more thing to do during a time that already feels really hard? So I'd like to offer this up instead,
You’ve made it through all your hardest days.
You have already proven that you can keep it together, work through some really hard, horrible, sh*t, and still rise. Don’t forget that when another season of challenge comes your way, because life IS hard. It’s ok to want to give up, to give in, but I encourage you to remember, that you also have the ability to consider hope, to invite in and feel all the feelings without judgment, to breath space into the situation, and, to recall a time that may have felt similar, a time where it all felt impossible, that you couldn’t go, but you did.
Let yourself be your own proof of your strength and resilience.
And with that, please know, you aren't alone, and I thank you for continuing to keep going. Everything will be ok, babe ❤️
Lindsey is an encourager, optimist, health + life coach, and yoga teacher who helps caregivers live fuller, healthier, vibrant lives through exploring all aspects of their life and health while helping to cultivate simple, sustainable fun-size habits, so that they can continue to make a meaningful impact in themselves, their loved ones, and the world, for generations to come.
