5 Tips to Help in Tough Times

How to catch a break

It’s easy to feel burnt out when we are in challenging times. And in those times, we tend to keep track of everything — and watch it add up…

…Thoughts such as “What’s next?!” “Why me?!” “Now what?!” “It’s one thing after another!” “This isn’t fair!” cross our minds — and our lips.

Can you relate?

As we watch the world continue to change — and our lives — what can we do to change our perspective?

A friend shared that she is going through a lot and appreciates the last article on grief and loss.

She worries about what’s happening in the world as well as what she faces in her world. With higher prices everywhere, she is forced to look for another job with a higher salary.

Not to ‘get ahead’ but to meet the inflation of today. She loves her current job and the people and hours but she needs something that pays more.

Now she’s online searching for jobs which stresses her out and even depress her to some extent. This is affecting her relationship with her hubby who is also feeling challenged. They’re fighting more and talking less.

Add in her aging father whose health is failing and her beloved older dogs who need daily medication and care — it’s all adding up…

She’s in anticipatory grief — knowing her father only has so much time left, as well as her aging dogs. Even changing jobs — the losses she sees coming.

When we are facing challenges — how do we catch a break?

I’ve shared before — we can let what’s happening to break us or break us open. You get to choose.

I encourage you to use these times to break you open. Are you with me? I get it — not quite there, right?! Well then, let’s help you join me.

And today’s source for help — is a great mentor of mine, Tony Robbins.

As Tony shares, “Life isn’t a connect-the-dots drawing with only one right answer. Life is more like an epic novel — a winding and complicated adventure in which you are the hero.”

“There are only two ways for your story to end: You suffer or you grow.”

If you feel that you have done your share of suffering — then join me as we look at some skills to help you start growing.

Tony’s 5 Tips for Tough Times:

1. Express your feelings — If you avoid your feelings, you allow them to build up inside of you. They end up expressing themselves in bad habits like drinking and overeating. You experience depression and anxiety.

Once you let your emotions out, they lose their power. Spend time journaling, drawing, talking, crying — feel your feelings. When you do, you can clear your mind to open to how you can grow from what is happening.

2. Focus on what you can control — The only thing we have control over is ourselves. When you think you have control over more, you set yourself up for anxiety and frustration. And you’re not going to get anywhere doing that.

Write down all the things you can’t control and then cross it off — and put the focus on what you can: YOU. When you change your focus from everything else and move it to you, you empower yourself. You’ll start to see tough times as opportunities for you to become stronger, wiser, patient, more loving etc. instead of the setbacks they appear to be.

3. Prioritize self-care — Eat healthier so that you not only feel better, but you think better and have more focus. Spend some time meditating, even for a few minutes. Dance to your favorite song, find a cute animal video, and stay off of social media’s negative news feeds and the nightly news that drags you down. Workout and walk in nature to increase your energy and relieve stress. Get out of your head (fear) — and into your heart (love).

4. Change your physiology — We all connect that when we are sad we cry, happy we smile, nervous we tremble. Our minds affect our bodies. This said — our bodies can affect our minds.

Smile more and you start to feel happier. Smile at others and you help them to feel happier as well which makes you feel even better. Your brain releases feel-good hormones in smiling, even if you don’t really mean it.

Power posing is another way to change your mindset. Think of when you are feeling depressed and sad — how is your posture? Usually, our shoulders are slumped and our head is down. In tough times, stand like you are tough too. Put your hands on your hips and your head raised high. Hold for 1 to 2 minutes and notice how it lifts your spirits.

5. Change your perspective — Tough times happen to all of us — the suffering comes from the meaning we give to it. And that we think what’s happening shouldn’t be. “Every experience of your life has gifts for you.” Tony is quoted as saying. Finding those gifts will help you navigate your challenging times.

Find gratitude — that silver lining. Step back and view things from a bigger picture. Stop dwelling on the negative and put your attention on the positive.

There is such a focus on the negative in our world. Some will say it’s because the pharmaceutical industry has control over the news. The more we stress over what is happening, the more we need medication to help us. The anti-anxiety meds, high blood pressure meds, diabetes meds, and acid reflux meds to name a few help us ‘function’ better.

How do we function better without all the side effects that many of these meds create? By taking control of ourselves and tapping into our inner power. This is what I look to help you do with my articles each week. And by finding peace — which ultimately comes from within.

This is the journey of self-awareness…

If you haven’t already, please take my free QUIZ: What is Your Self-Awareness Type? and uncover more about where you are and where you can go. It’s 2 minutes and it’s FREE.

If you would like to connect even further, please like my Facebook page and subscribe to my YouTube channel for Minutes With Michele.

You can also find me on My Website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

And I encourage you to read the work of my fabulous writer friends: Trista Ainsworth, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Amy Marley, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Erin King, Karen Madej, Alison Tennent, Neha Sandhir S, Lanu Pitan, Kyomi O’Connor, Terry Mansfield, Tim Maudlin, Bob Jasper, Joe Luca, JeffHerring.com, Indra Raj Pathak, Dr Michael Heng, David Acaster

Always celebrating, Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Founder & Leader of ILLUMINATION

Until next time ~

Sending you light, love — and self-awareness

Be Well,