Whatever age you are in life, nothing is perfect. If you are 16, you may be deciding your future, taking exams, trying to fit in, building relationships, or maybe wondering how to cover up an enormous pimple. 🙂
If you are in your 30s, you might be struggling to buy a home/have somewhere to live, find a partner, climb the career ladder, bring up children, and make a life for yourself.
In your 60s you may have to deal with health issues, finances, where to spend your later years, or the sad loss of friends and loved ones.
That doesn’t mean that life isn’t beautiful for the most part. My life seems to have been a series of huge up and downs… thankfully, far more ups than downs!
But sometimes life throws a problem, or maybe a series of problems, and you really don’t know which way to turn. What do you do?
Take a Step Back
We may become so entrenched in what is happening we can’t really see the situation for what it is, and how we should react. So, the first thing to do is to take a step back.
Write down your priorities and what needs to be done first. Be brave, clarity helps you to achieve a successful outcome.
For example, if it is a financial concern:
- List all savings, income, assets, expenditure.
- Look at ways to reduce outgoings. Do you really need that subscription/gym membership?
- Is there something you could sell? Perhaps downsize your home, a smaller car, jewellery, unwanted items?
- Check if there are any benefits you could apply for. Don’t let your pride get in the way. There are literally millions of unclaimed benefits that could change people’s lives.
- There are hundreds of charities who are there to help – find out if you are eligible for a grant.
- Look at ways you can make money. Perhaps a part time job, selling crafts, skills, consulting, etc.
- If you have debts, look to see if they can be consolidated.
Be Gentle with Yourself
Sometimes it is easy to think we are the only ones with problems. We may think we have made bad decisions or taken wrong turns. We may become angry, feel guilty, have regrets. However difficult and painful things are, they are all part of the tapestry of life. You will get through it.
The most important thing is to care for yourself. Eat well, sleep often, listen to music, read a book, take a walk. These will go a long way to normalising life and help you move forward.
Sometimes the only thing you might feel able to do in a day is just breathe.
And that is fine.
Build Yourself an Invisible Cloak
I like to build myself an invisible cloak, which I call my Angel Wings. Inside it, nothing can hurt me. It is my shield against the world and allows me time to rest, think, become stronger, and work out a way forward.
So many things in life sort themselves out – if we give them time. If you think of all the things that have happened in your life, they were either not as bad as you thought, fixed themselves, or you fixed them. Just think about that for a moment…
It means most things are often sorted without any help, and the ones that you managed to do yourself just show how brave, resilient, resourceful and clever you are! 🙂
You Are Who You Are Because of Your Challenges
You are not the same person as you were, you have learned so much over the years. Gained skills that you may have thought impossible, become competent, proficient, and mastered so much.
Be proud of your achievements and, next time a problem arises, know that you have everything within you to solve it.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Which challenges have shaped you into the person you are today? Do you handle problems differently from your 50-year-old self?
