When you get stuck in despair, fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, disappointment, confusion or any other emotion, the last thing you want to do is move on from that challenging place. Your feelings are real and raw, and holding onto them often times feels like the only way to keep you safe and secure.
If this is where you are now today, know that it’s OK. It’s more than OK, it’s what it means to be human. Do not suppress your feelings, but rather acknowledge them and allow yourself to feel them. Where do you notice your feelings in your body? In your stomach? In your lower back? In your neck your shoulders? If your face? And what does it feel like? All of this is part of the work of Living Deliberately.
Take time to grieve and allow yourself to mourn and weep unapologetically, but don’t stay stuck for too long – as staying stuck can not only affect you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, it can affect those around you, including your children.
Staying entrenched in your emotions may serve you temporarily, until at one point, it won’t and will instead get you entangled deeper in even more emotions, such as: blame, distress, divisiveness, panic, worry, anger, and hatred.
When you are done grieving, see if you can take on a new perspective to your situation. You may find yourself challenged by your efforts, because your situation may appear as dark and as bleak as ever. Consider that taking on a new viewpoint to your situation is not about giving in or compromising. Trying on a new lens is not about winning or losing a battle, but rather is about your interest in and commitment to healing – healing yourself, healing your children, healing your community, healing your country, and healing the world.
Create a list of new perspectives, join a support group, or reach out to a friend, colleague, or religious leader who can help you in your efforts in choosing a new outlook, rather than wallowing in your stuck place.
Challenge yourself to take on a new perspective so that you can turn your current stuck spot into a source for energy and positive change.
There’s a world of considerations out there waiting for you. Which one will you choose?
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