Life can feel like an uphill climb sometimes, which can seem like a struggle having to go through those challenging times. Whether this challenge is a work-related one and we must put in a lot more time and input into our work to reach the end results we need to achieve, or maybe we must do some house or garden detoxing to do or DIY changes. With the time we need to input into these challenges, fitting this in on top of what we already have to do can sometimes seem overwhelming. It might also be an exam we need to study for or a fitness goal we are challenging ourselves to achieve. Whatever it is we are being challenged to do, take the brave step and choose to rise to the challenge.
We all have to accept the challenges in life, and we can go either one of two ways, we can rise to the challenge or we can drag ourselves up moaning to ourselves or even others, every step we take. A good place to start is to take the issue and look at what this challenge is and whether we have to do it. This is a big thing you need to get your head around, if you can’t change the challenge and you have to do it, then it’s time to suck it up. If these challenging times can’t be changed, the thing that can change is the way you choose to approach it. Letting it get you down is a waste of your energy, so the best thing to do is to just start the process of working at it with a more positive attitude. Your attitude to how you cope with the challenge might be the only thing you are in control of, if the challenge can’t change then this will be the case. Our mood can make a massive difference in how we deal with things and even in studies they have found that if we have a negative mindset about doing something it will take longer to achieve. Also, the more we put off doing this, the more anxious and uncomfortable we can start to feel about doing it, the more this continues, often the worse we can feel.
What you need to do is to stop the procrastination and work to get through this challenge as quickly as you can, the quicker you deal with these challenges, often the quicker it is over. If you have a much higher workload then doing it at the earliest convenient time of the day will be better, if you keep putting it off through the day you will drain down your motivational reservoir. Motivation is something that is not a constant thing within us, if we keep putting something off then we are reducing the levels of motivation until we have run dry and then we end up saying we will do it tomorrow. The earlier we get this done the more motivation we have left to be able to push ourselves through to get things done. When we have got it done, then we can often feel the relief of doing it, plus those positive feelings of the steps we are taking and the achievements we are making. Often on the uphill climb in the challenge, project, or period of time in our lives, it’s good to stop midway through to just take a look at what we have already achieved in moving this challenge forward. Just like climbing up a mountain, if we are halfway up, not only can we stop and see the bottom as something that looks quite a long way away from us now, but the other positive thing is that with being halfway up the mountain, we have a whole new viewpoint of where we now are and what we can see. We can now look out and see the view from this higher viewpoint and take stock of the bigger picture. This is just how we can feel when we pause midway through a challenging time; we are not where we were, we have moved and things have changed. This is such a great moment to help us take stock in just how far we have come and this can then give you the extra motivation you need to keep moving forward.
Always remember that if your mind can start to see the finish line, we can also have an extra boost in keeping us moving to the end of the challenging times. With your focus on working on changing the things you can and letting go of the things, you can’t. Another thing to consider is can you find ways to help you keep working through the challenges and get there quicker? Spreading the load? Asking for help? Stopping to see if there is a better direction to take on your journey through these challenging times can help too. Nothing is static in life and as we move forward things can change and it’s good to allow ourselves the ability to reflect and look to see if there is an easier direction to follow. Keeping an open mind through times of challenge will help you spot those changes and enable you to move through the challenges and get to the other side of things.
Keep a positive mind, keep stepping and moving forward, pause midway through to take stock and always keep an open mind for new solutions to help you through the challenges.
Stay strong. Sara x
HYPNOSARA 