How to Get Through Challenging Situations

How to Get Through Challenging Situations

What if pain and suffering arises from resisting pain and suffering? What if saying “no” to what is actually happening, causes more pain than the Challenging Situations themselves?

I think that the greatest cause of distress is the false idea that we can control our life circumstances in such a way that would relieve us of pain – that we can fix things outside of us to be happy.

Redefining Challenging Situations

“Challenging situations create the force needed to bring about change. The problem is that we generally use all the stirred-up energy intended to bring about change, to resist change. I was learning to sit quietly in the midst of the howling winds and wait to see what constructive action was being asked of me.” Michael Singer.

The point when you start doing something new or are facing a stressful situation your brain begins to create new receptor sites and new neural pathways.

Our actions to the situation are what determine if those are good or bad connections.

The physical changes happening in your brain create feeling and emotions. We are the ones who determine the meaning we want to give those feelings. The problem is, we have trained our brains to assign a meaning to these feelings as “this is uncomfortable, this is hard”.

But really that energy and feeling is a great thing and you can assign a new meaning to it. Feeling resistance is the BEST signal that growth and transformation is happening. When you assign a positive message to that feeling of resistance, you become unstoppable.

We can train our brains to see uncomfortable, challenging, and heartbreaking times in a different way.

  • Instead of viewing health and body symptoms as problems- they are really just signals to you, which is a good thing! Problems and symptoms that arise could be a signal to you that something needs to change in your life- (diet, the way your spending your time, etc.) taking time to reflect, pray, and listen to what may need to be done differently will bring about more health and joy than ever before. The more you resist that, the more the symptoms will persist.
  • James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
  • This trail is making you into the person you were destined to be. Preparing you to reach people, to cause change for the kingdom, and to have joy and passion every single day.
  • Pruning of a plant makes it more beautiful and able to bear much more fruit. After this, you will bear much more fruit than before.

Our Biggest Problem

All the enemy can do is get you to focus on what is negative which most of the time is not even true. All he can do is TRY to change your perspective and get you to try to find things that are wrong. He can only present a lie, we are the ones that make it big by thinking about it. When things feel wrong, look for what is going right- the more you do this, the more you are you are rewiring your brain how to think and choose. 

We need to get out of our own way. Our biggest challenge is learning how to constantly direct our thoughts instead of letting them run wild. I write more about how thoughts effect our body and how prayer changes the brain here.

A Renewed Mind

A renewed mind carries out that plans it receives without relying on its own wisdom. It WAITS until it is taught by the Holy Spirit what should be done and then proceeds to do it. Each day ask, Holy Spirit- please show me where to go, please show me what to do, please show me what to say. It is not your job to figure it out- it is your job to ask and listen.

When we sit in stillness and watch, wait, and listen, we can learn and we can see just what is in store for us. Sometimes challenges are exactly what the doctor ordered. Sometimes even tragedy is part of our path.

A miracle is the mental shift in perception that you experience when you choose God over the enemy. You choose love over fear. A miracle worker demonstrates miracles by constantly shifting their perspective on things. Your constant CHOOSING the guidance of the Holy Spirit over the enemy is a practice- is gets easier with time because you are rewiring your brain how to think and choose. 

Goal

  • To learn how to not resist trails and hardships, but rather to become aware of them, accept them, and learn how to let the move through you with ease.
  • What you are going through now is allowing you to help and change the lives of others in the future. You can take it and do more good with it that far outweighs any harm caused.
  • You can let go, continuously, of attachment to outcome- and peace begins to set in. To work daily on getting our egos and the voice of the enemy out of the way of our spirits.
  • We choose to get out of our own way by ignoring that annoying voice that is constantly second-guessing, criticizing, panicking, planning. You are not those thoughts. You are the one witnessing those thoughts. All you are here to do is remain open to what is put in your path and in your hands. To accept the flow. To appreciate the unexpected growth that manifests out of adversity. To do the best that you can each day- and to forget the rest.
  • More on How to Detox Your Thought Life Here

Tool

To move through and clear situations, to get perspective, to strengthen your mind. Use daily or when having a hard time.

Remember the 3 Rs

Reconnect: 

  1. Become aware of exactly what you are feeling. Breathe.
  2. Step outside to observe your thinking. Identity lies.
  3. See these emotions and this situation as an invitation for the Holy Spirit to take over. Cast all of your burdens upon him- he takes them- we are not to worry- we are only to seek him.
  4. Ask what you are to do- what is the root of this- is there something that you need to change in your life? Or if someone else did something to you, ask how you should handle it.

Reframe: 

  1. Ask better questions! No “why me’s”. How is this situation making me stronger? Holy spirit, what do you think about this? How do you want me to see this?
  2. What good could possibly come from this situation?
  3. See yourself as a warrior- this is a hard trial, but it wont last long.
  4. See as an exciting invitation to the next stage in your life- a better stage- living a life you can only dream of because you are becoming the person you were destined to be. You can only get muscles by lifting heavy things.
  5. Take the poison- you turn it into medicine- how is it going to make you better?

Refocus:

  1. Turn your focus on eternity, the only thing that matters. What we do here is determining what you will be doing there- where we will live in utter BLISS, FOREVER. We are only here for a very short time.
  2. Bring up a time where you felt amazing! A time or place that fills you with peace and joy. Focus on 3 things you are so grateful for. Breathe deep and think on these.
  3. What is one small thing you can do next. The next right thing.

Clear and move take action! 

  1. Clear that energy- move, shake, dance, run
  2. The three factors that effect your state of mind are your physiology, language, and tone. Use your body to get you into a state of mind- power poses: smile, sit up strait, move around, state affirmations and truths.
  3. CHOOSE: This is your invitation to make a choice: how would the best version of yourself and who you want to be in the future respond? Your response to the situation is physically wiring your brain, creating your future, and effecting your health.

Your body is made of energy waves. Moving and circulating energy is essential. When feeling bad emotion or energy, we must get into relaxed breathing in order for the body to release the old emotional energy and make space to process and receive new energy.

About Author

You may also like

Leave A Comment

Please enter your name. Please enter an valid email address. Please enter a message.

No Comment

You can post first response comment.