Motivated Mondays: Tough Times Won’t Last Always

“The wheels on the bus go round and round all through the town”— take me back. The good old days. The moments where we didn’t have a care in the world. I mean we had so much freedom and temporary stress. We could go outside and have a ball and come back in for dinner and a movie. We could run to our parents and ask for some change when we heard the ice cream man creeping down the street. We could ride a bike to the wheels fell off or until the street lights came on. Take me back. Memories.

We’re all grown up now and it seems life tries to kick our but almost every time it gets a chance. I mean obstacles come back to back at times. Sometimes it feels so overwhelming we think we’re not going to make it. But troubles don’t last always. It cannot always be night, the sun has to shine at some point.

When we don’t believe that. Things get very hard and cloudy. When life hits us like we’re in a boxing match with Ali, we have to pause and take a breather. We have to catch our breath. It’s a must. We can’t sit there and drown in or sorrow or drown in our emotions. We have to fight back and I don’t mean with our fists, but I do mean physically.

When things are out of whack and it seems your can’t catch a break, hit the reset button.

1. Practice a “mind and body” relaxation technique.

Your mental is everything. If you don’t have that, you don’t have anything. If your mind is too overwhelmed, it will soon show in your actions. You’ll find yourself moving impulsively. You’ll find yourself forgetting everything. You’ll find yourself picking up bad habits. You’ll forget to care for you. So relax. Find that thing that calms you down and do it. Chill. Breathe. Think of nothing but that very present moment.

2.  Focus on things within your control.

Guess what? You can’t control everything. You can make plans and they can fall through. You can expect something and then it doesn’t happen. Guess what, it wasn’t in your control. Now, what’s in your control you have the power to change. This could be an eating habit, a relationship status, or a financial habit. This could be the way you view yourself or those around you. Whatever it is only focus on what you have the power to change and nothing more.

3. Accept change by looking to your past.

Acceptance is hard in some moments, but it’s very necessary. Until you accept, you can’t honestly move forward. You dance around the issue in many ways but you can’t move forward without accepting what has been. Accept it. Change it. And move FORWARD.

4. Try to avoid negative people.

With all your might, try to avoid negative people. Negativity is contagious. Misery loves company—it’s a real thing. Be careful when dealing with negative people while you’re going through. You don’t need chaos. You need a clear mind. You don’t need discouragement. You need inspiration. Find it, keep it, and move around from dark clouds and negative people.

5. Prioritize relationships.

Listen, when you’re going through, you don’t have time for everybody. You have to get yourself focused and that involves sacrifice. You may need to take a step back. You may need to isolate but not for too long. Too much isolation can lead to depression. You have to know who’s an asset at this time. You can’t be there for everybody without being there for yourself first. You can’t pour on an empty take.

If you’re going through, keep moving. But move the right way. Don’t move in vain. Be intentional about getting through. Work on you and stay focused. Trust me, those tough times don’t last always. You got this.