The last few years have been exhausting. The loss, fear, and uncertainty has taken its toll. There has been physical, mental, emotional and spiritual impact around the globe. To quote Christine Caine's recent message, "the world has gone cray, cray!" Let's not go there ourselves!
How do we keep hope alive amongst daunting circumstances?
Take Time to Be Still
We can settle our minds by simply sitting in stillness with awareness. Calmly acknowledging and accepting our thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations cultivates awareness increasing our mindfulness. Staying present focused eliminates the regret of the past and the worry of the future. Create intentional time daily to sit in meditation. Check out the Calm App for easy guided sessions to get started.
Psalm 46:10 | Be still and know that I am God.
Embody a Spirit of Gratitude
The Gratitude Project suggests that people who express gratitude on a regular basis have higher levels of optimism, physical well-being, and determination. With a little awareness and effort, anyone can create new habits of gratefulness to minimize the (sometimes overwhelming) negative thoughts and emotions. Begin a gratitude journal. Share your blessings with those you love, daily. After all, an attitude of gratitude is contagious! For more gratitude experiences and journal prompts, check out the Gratitude Challenge.
I Thessalonians 5:18 | In all things give thanks.
Mind your Expectations
Expectations are helpful. At times they give us a vision, provide motivation, or a sense of direction. And, unrealistic expectations can cause us to be self (or other) critical, bringing on feelings of failure or disappointment. That unmet need can quickly turn to hurt with emotions of anger. To better balance expectations, be patient with yourself, shift and adapt to changing expectations, and over-communicate about everything. It's OK to be redundant. No one knows how to make you happy if they don't know what makes you happy.
James 5:8 | You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high...
It is never too late to change your mindset, create more hope and set a new purpose, vision and goals. The last few years have been hard, and we also come away with some valuable lessons on how to truly live.
May 2022 be brighter and offer the hope we all need for a better tomorrow.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with hopelessness today, I would love to chat with you -- schedule a free consultation today.
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