Sometimes, even though we know, or think we do, that we have some purpose, that we believe that we are moving forwards, that we think we might be happy, there can be times when it feels as though we are stumbling around in the dark.
Not just the dark though, but a scary darkness filled with obstacles and fears.
At times this can feel as though you have started going backwards, that all the 'good work' that you have done suddenly feels as though it's added up to nothing.
All of a sudden we find fears bubbling up again, we find that doubt replaces certainty, we can feel empty, that the joy, optimism and hope we had only a moment ago has been lost. We, very literally, can feel lost, helpless, hopeless.
Though this feels horrible, though it's scary, it's also a natural part of life.
We can't feel amazing all of the time. When we are tired, run down, having to deal with problems, those problems suddenly feel much bigger, much harder to deal with.
A succession of small problems that you'd normally 'bat away' or simply march over, suddenly become impossible obstacles that stop you in your path, they start to weigh you down, to crush you.
So what can you do? How can you get back on track, get back your hope, optimism and joy?
The first thing and sometimes the simplest, is to simply wait, to recognise that it's entirely normal to have a period where you feel down, where you feel flat, where things can feel out of control, and to know that it will pass. That often you don't need to do anything other than wait and you will start to feel better again.
Or you can actively 'look for the light'. Even amongst the darkest of days, there will always be some light somewhere. Look for the things, and they might be small things you sometimes don't notice, that can make you smile, that you love, a flower, a bird feeding, the unconditional love of a cat, anything, and concentrate on that for a time, be grateful and thankful for the tiny things.
The actual act of smiling creates chemical changes in your body, so try and find things to smile about.
You will find that the darkness suddenly doesn't seem so deep, doesn't seem so scary. Gradually perhaps, you will find that you start to find your path forwards again, that you will see the light appearing and be able to, once again, move towards it.
Soon you will be back on your path and wonder what all that was about.
Life always has ups and downs. We frequently can't control the events in our life, can't control what happens, but we do have some control, if we can only find how, in how we react to events, in how we allow those things to affect us. It's not always easy, in fact it's sometimes not possible, to always remain optimistic and happy.
The trick is to allow the periods of darker feelings to pass, knowing that the light will return, rather than getting lost and locked in to the darkness.
Part of the reason why I'm setting up as a Life Coach is because I will be able to help people through such darkness, through such periods of being lost, not through 'telling them' what they should do or feel, but with formal processes to help them identify what may be serving as a block, as something they are struggling to get past, and then the way to tackle that, to overcome the blocks in their way.
One of the reasons for having this blog, is that it helps me, it reminds me how to use those techniques on and for myself, sometimes we all need some help.
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