Finding your inner strength is not easy for most people. We are often consumed by the chaos around us, and tend to lose sight of what is truly important, taking care of ourselves. Know that you are not alone.
Taking care of ourselves first does not come easy for most people. My typical day is getting the kids off to school, working full time, grocery store, getting the kids off the bus, driving everyone around to their activities, making dinner, cleaning, overseeing homework, getting the kids off to bed, etc. Tomorrow we start all over again. You feel exhausted and there is just not enough hours in the day. You are searching for inner strength right about now! Does any of this sound familiar?
Now, let’s say you are presented a challenge. What happens if you are suddenly faced with a serious illness or you have to take care of an elderly parent? What if you need to lose weight or choose to have bariatric surgery? What if you lose your job or your house? What if you are going through a divorce or a close friend or family member passes away unexpectedly? What if … You get the picture. Your daily routine mentioned earlier doesn’t change, you just take on more and more and suddenly find yourself overwhelmed, emotional and in need of support. I get it. I have lived this. I am still challenged all the time. While everyone has different beliefs, I will say we all draw strength from someone, something or from somewhere. I call this my 3 ‘S.
- Someone – yourself, your spouse, friends or family.
- Something – reading, praying or music.
- Somewhere – the ocean, mountains, Facebook groups, your workplace or your church.
*** On a piece of paper, list who is your someone, something and somewhere. It’s important to recognize where you draw your inner strength from.
Do you have those few friends who just happen to call you out of the blue when you are in your darkest hour? Their timing is always perfect. They cover you with prayer when you need it most and you feel so incredibly blessed and strong. Maybe you listen to a song and it just tugs at your heart strings and you start to cry or it makes your feel like you can conquer anything. Then there are those incredible vacations, day trips or simple walks in the park. You see flowers blooming, kids happily playing and swimming, beautiful wildlife, and you simply are at peace. Wouldn’t it be nice to never leave? Sadly you must.
Remember, you can’t take care of others until you have taken care of yourself first. How can you be a support for your friends and family when you are not in the right emotional state of mind. You can try to listen, but many times we find ourselves preoccupied with the million things racing through our head, including all the tasks we have.
- Stop what you are doing. Yesterday is gone. You can learn from it, but by all means move on. Tomorrow is never guaranteed so stop worrying about it. Live for TODAY. Life is so very precious as we all know. Spend every minute of TODAY making it the best TODAY you can.
- Learn to breathe. Pause from your daily life. Take a few minutes or longer out for you. Do something that makes you happy. Go to the 3 S’s where you draw strength. Incorporate “ME TIME” into your daily routine. Yes, it’s ok to be selfish with your time. Aren’t YOU worth it? Don’t YOU deserve it? YES should be your answer!
- Finally, refocus your energies on to what is most important, always prioritizing. Just let go of the small stuff.
I like the acronym SWOT. Spend some time listing what you are going through and what category it falls in. Review often.
- Know your Strength
- Learn from your Weaknesses
- Overcome all Obstacles
- Remove all Threats
There is a great blog written my Kevin Daum. His tips are:
9 ways to build your inner strength.
- Ask yourself “Why?” Then find your answer.
- Put yourself first.
- Train your mental and emotional body, as well as your physical self.
- Decide, commit, and act.
- Don’t let fear factor into your decision making.
- Embrace what scares you.
- De-clutter your mind.
- Become your own best friend.
- Practice calm and self-control in adversity.
This will always be the SOMEWHERE for you.
Peace and Blessings,
Dawn