Honing Your Tactics for Tough Tmes

You’ve been through tough times. Hooray. You made it.

I am willing to bet you learned a lot in some of those times. Some of those challenges called forth qualities you may not have known were within you.

Remember those tough times. Give yourself big credit for dealing with them. Not to dwell on the negative and not to be pompous but because honoring your success in dealing with tough times will fortify you to deal with - and even grow from- tough times to come.

Many people are talking about the next few months as the long dark winter. It will bring challenges for all of us- some of us more intensely than others.

Please remember you are strong and resourceful.

You have more choice, resilience, creativity, courage and love inside you than you have yet realized.

Below is a simple and powerful 3 part exercise I recently used with a client.

She was facing big challenges in her career, family and health all at once and was not sure she would be able to handle it.

This exercise did not make her challenges disappear. It did build a foundation for her to believe in herself and allowed us to create her plan of action.

How long does this exercise take? Up to you. You can do it in 5 minutes or 50 … or start it now and continue it as you go through your day.

Gathering Your Tactics for Tough Times: 3 Step Practice

1. Make a list of tough times you gone through and feel good about.

Take a few breaths of appreciation for yourself and say outloud yourself. Whew. Well done. I’ve gotten through difficult times and done pretty darn well. Hooray. (Use your own congratulatory words.)

2. Make a list of the tactics, skills and practices and inner qualities that helped you in those times

3. Make a list of things you tried that were not helpful. Things that made it harder, triggers and pitfalls you want remember and to avoid.

Though all of this, whatever comes up, let tension fall away from your body. Breathe deep kindness for yourself, just where you are.

We are all, each and every one of us, works in progress. Each day is a chance to begin again, to learn, to grow and to become more fully who we really are.

If you try this 3 Step Practice - let us know in the comments below.

What are you learning from it?

And, if you want my support in activating your inner resources to meet every day more fully, drop me an email. We will have a quick phone chat to see if my coaching or programs would be helpful for you.