THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Looking beyond present unpleasant situations/circumstances sure is a developed skill that I wish I had. Ever since relocating over two years ago, more and more situations have been contributing to an overall feeling on the inside of suffocation, misplacement, loneliness; kind of this numb, aching pain in my heart that comes particularly when I’m in the presence of certain people that I have no choice but to be around multiple times a week. When faced with any type of recurring problem and thinking that are not positive, I’m one of those individuals who would rather dig deep to find the root cause of said issues in order to fix them, instead of relying on shallow “encouraging clichés” that just offer an unsatisfactory band-aid.

Unfortunately, I’m a person who’s affected by my environment, so having the ability to shift perspective in difficult circumstances and not dwell on what’s currently happening in front of me is a challenge and has been an ongoing goal of mine lately. Because every time I think I’m doing better or ‘growing out of it,’ I’m reminded how little progress I’ve made in this area. Which is something that my hubby can’t comprehend as he’s completely the opposite. No matter how many times I tell myself ‘don’t dwell on those negative situations or people”, some subtle attack will happen and make me slip right back into that dark corner of my mind.

I’ve never been so open about this on here. As much as I’d like to think that my realness and genuineness of character come through in my posts on Instagram, sometimes it may not be as clear to some as I thought. For instance, in a recent post, I received this super flattering comment, “You look powerful, like you have a good handle on things. Inspired.” I mean, how sweet is that?!  This is a huge compliment because it helps me realize that I turned out OK, having had to depend on myself since childhood to figure out life and survive without any parental/family support or encouragement. Not having had any safety net to fall back on, I never had a choice to be sloppy in decisions I’ve had to make, but had to pull up my sleeves, work hard, and get a handle onwhatever life threw at me (of course not without God’s help). But at the same time, for one thing, I don’t want to come across unrelatable and second, lacking the ability to overcome silly negative thoughts makes me feel like a fluttering mess – that I don’t fully have a handle on things.

I decided to share this struggle with ‘viewing present tribulations as momentary’. While it’s a battle to post these vulnerable moments given this judgmental world we live in, I know I can’t be the only one feeling this way and decided to share for the following two reasons:

1. To remind others that you’re not alone. Everyone deals with negative feelings no matter how strong or put-together they might appear. Trust. So never keep those yucky feelings bottled up inside just for the sake of saving face. In fact, talking about them helps you rid yourself of them and heal. Character building is a slow process. Whenever we try to avoid or escape the difficulties in life, we short-circuit the process, delay our growth, and actually end up with a worse kind of pain – the worthless type that accompanies denial and avoidance.

2. Remember this too shall pass. I’m currently working on constantly reminding myself that the secret to endurance is to remember that the difficult things gnawing at me and causing my suffering at the moment are all temporary and that they too will eventually fade away and be forgotten about, just like difficult experiences have passed for others before me. I need to be patient. Grow up – not give up!

Are you struggling with negative mental anguish? If so, how do you deal with it?