It’s no secret that these are wild times we are living in. We can all use more courage to not shy away from the challenges we are facing. We need to have faith that we have all the internal resources we need to rally our energy to match the challenges we face that feel like battles with life. When we lose hope and lack faith, we will retreat into our sabotaging numb-out strategies.
How can we have courage outside of our comfort zone? How do we stack our deck to face the things we cannot control? I know I have been building my repertoire of strategies to not shrink in the face of the unexpected or situations beyond my control that are demanding my attention.
What is your insurmountable mountain? Finances? Technology? Institutions and organizations with so much power? How about those difficult personalities? I think of the metaphor of a mountain because if you have ever climbed one, you know that just as you think you are reaching the end of the trail, there is another peak to climb beyond the next plateau. These are what I’m referring to as a life battle, those insurmountable, deeply confrontational life situations and events that grab our attention and consume our energy.
When we disconnect from life by distraction of whatever mode is our default, we can lose hope. If we lose hope, we go into despair. The deeper we go from hopelessness we may identify with feelings of depression. When we spiral into depression we may sabotage what brings us meaning.
Sometimes we actually need to withdraw to become introspective and reflect internally to gain clarity but if we disconnect from source, faith, love, Spirit, God, family and friends, we are at risk to lose hope and feel depressed.
We all have rough days but when we lose hope, we may feel like we are reaching up for bottom as the expression goes. Depression is nothing to fear as it is one of the full spectrum of human emotions.
What is key is to recognize when we start to hit the point of no return emotionally, and how we support ourselves out of that state.
Many fear the feelings of depression because they may lack the emotional tools and resources to climb back out again. Some will seek medical support or therapy. These are viable options. Some may drop into mindful awareness and simply notice their internal state is feeling wobbly. With this awareness, they can tune into how they can support themselves to shift back into balance to reconnect with self, life and others.
In the day-to-day moments where we feel a bit blue, how can we empower ourselves to restore our internal emotional compass? There are many emotional tools and resources that I have found to rebalance my mood so I can plug back into life and engage with what gives me meaning and fulfillment. I offer these to my clients and I wrote about them in the book, Courage to Shine, How to Feel Confident Outside of Your Comfort Zone.
Step 1: Pause-Notice-Choose
Breathe deeply into your lower belly to come home into your body and center yourself. Breathing is a great place to start. You can tune in and notice your internal state. Name what you are feeling without judgment or reaction. Choose what you can do to support yourself now that you have taken your own pulse. A reality assessment is the first step to tap into courage and back into emotional balance.
Step 2: Step Into Courage.
How will you find the courage to meet the energy, confrontation or challenge that is so difficult? Soul Courage is what you want to tap into here. Knowing that your internal resources are so much bigger than your physical self. Your Soul (aka higher self or higher consciousness) knows your destiny and will always guide you to turn challenging situations into learning opportunities from which to grow. Spirit (or the term you relate to) has your back and as the expression goes, you will never be given a growth opportunity that you cannot meet. There will always be an edge where your confidence is shaken and where you need to tap into courage to meet that edge and take the leap of faith.
There are so many edges and places to leap from these days for each of us. It is a sign of these transformational times we are living in. We need Soul Courage more than we ever have. To have faith that there is a bigger energy that has our back and sees our potential to meet the stretch. When we tap into trust with faith and awareness we are not alone on this journey unless we disconnect from our Spiritual connection or other forms of support that brings courage through our connection.
We stay connected when we are plugged into life in terms of what brings meaning and pleasure.
Intentionally connecting with our friends and family, our spiritual practices, nature, and all that is the stream of livingness fuels our hope. Soul Courage is always present to guide us to meet our fear, resistance, doubt, and all that we meet in our individual life battles.
Due for release on Amazon in October 2023: Courage to Shine, How to Feel Confident Outside of Your Comfort Zone.
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