Many people are living life on autopilot. They are experiencing struggle as a day-to-day reality, and don’t even realize it. They are so busy “coping” that they have lost sight of what makes life good. Moving from one task to another, life seems flat and without color.
“Coping” is a way of negotiating the struggle and pushing it out of view. “No one’s life is perfect” you say, and while that is true, it doesn’t mean your life could not be better. It doesn’t provide any solutions, just pushes the situation further and further along, and the weight of it only grows.
Why Wait Until a Crisis?
It’s so common to push it all away until there is a crisis, at which point you realize that the only way out is with help. Here is what often happens. Life comes along and gives you a gentle hint, and you ignore it. Believing that if you push it away everything will fall into place. Then another hint comes along, this time a stronger one, and you ignore that too. Eventually comes the crisis. My advice, don’t wait for the crisis. Don’t wait till you hit rock bottom, and the situation seems impossible to overcome. That’s what I did. It took me way too long to seek the help I needed.
You might be wondering, is this me? Below are the 3 signs that helped me realize that I was in a struggle, and they are important ones to look out for in yourself as well.
Sign #1
You wake up one day and realize that you haven’t laughed in a really long time. Not a little laugh, you know the one, a quick ha-ha. I am talking about a deep sore-belly, tears-in-your-eyes laugh, like that of a child.
For me, I was just living each day, and then one day I asked myself how long has it been since I laughed like that? Too long, was my answer. I was going through the motions, not really enjoying the process of living. Does that resonate with you?
As children, we have such an imagination. When was the last time you used it? You wanted to be an astrophysicist, or a neurosurgeon, and maybe you didn’t become that person because those were childhood dreams. Instead you told yourself you are ordinary and that’s that. Does that have to be the end of the story? What if you tapped into that childhood dream and helped resurface that zest for life?
What if you laughed? How would that feel?
Sign #2
The second sign of hidden struggle is when you haven’t seen your friends for a while, not because you are too busy, or because of Covid, but because you feel disconnected. Your friendships seem surface level. For years you have lived in your own little world, not even realizing how uninteresting your social life has become. You aren’t going out to meet new people and you are not happy with the people you already know. THIS is struggle.
Sign #3
The third sign of struggle is when you hear your family, friends, or kids telling you not to work so hard! You pour all your energy into work, and don’t even know what fun is anymore. Your life is supporting your work, instead of your work supporting your life.
Get Out of Struggle
Reflecting on your struggle gives you the chance to get the inner peace and creativity that you have within you back into view, to focus on ways to make your life a more joyful experience. You can regain the ability to live life to the fullest. It is a process that I will support you in learning and in doing. I know what it feels like to be in struggle, to deny it, and then to be forced to deal with it.
Don’t wait for as long as I did. Reach out to me and schedule a time to talk.
I have been where you are now, and I will guide you to having a fuller realization of your abilities and your strengths. Step out of struggle, and into your best life.