Oh boy ~ how do we do that? How do we learn to embrace what we naturally resist? One thing I know for sure, it is not a process that will occur through thinking.
Struggle is Personally Defined
To struggle is such a personal and subjective experience. What is a struggle for me may be a breeze for you. What is a struggle today will likely give way to ease and grace tomorrow.
What characterizes struggle for you?
Get in touch with what it feels like for you to experience struggle in your life. Are there circumstances and events that tend to bring up the sense of struggle for you? Where do you feel struggle in your body? What happens to your thought process when you are struggling? Are there other factors that create struggle in your life?
These are all useful questions when you find yourself in the midst of struggle.
I often think of struggle as my internal process ~ all the feelings, thoughts, sensations that occur within my personal experience. What’s happening around me might be the trigger or the catalyst, but the struggle occurs within.
Becoming The Witness
In times of struggle one of the most powerful approaches we can take is to focus on creating peace in the midst of the storm. Becoming the witness who observes your experience from every angle can be the most effective route to this internal oasis.
Expect that peace does lie within you even if you are not aware of it’s exact location in the moment. Work on trusting the presence of peace and as you do, it will naturally seep into your experienced reality. We must believe it exists and is possible to find before we know that it is firmly rooted in the foundation of our being.
Take things moment by moment. Projection into the future and rumination in the past are surefire was to get even more mired in the struggle. We can manage almost anything for a moment ~ just for a moment. Focusing on the basics like coming back to our breath is a simple way to restore presence and as sense of security.
Ask the questions that will lead you to expansive answers. Simple queries such as “What is this struggle about for me?” or “Show me what I need to learn through this process” are examples of questions that set the stage for discovery. Get really curious ~ ask again and again ~ and allow for all possibilities to come into your awareness. You can either accept or reject what shows up for you ~ the objective is to get the juices flowing ~ that’s where the breakthrough will occur.
If you must think about the future, do so to be creative. Imagine yourself on the other side of this struggle ~ knowing something new ~ feeling something exhilarating ~ more grounded in your truth. Use this opportunity to build faith in the process of life and trust in yourself. At the very least, begin to imagine your sense of relief when the struggle has passed.
If you can feel it, you can create it.
What is the purpose of struggle anyway?
Well, only you can answer that question for yourself and it may take time. Know that you can learn how to respond to struggle with grace and peace.
Struggle often shows up for me during times of transition and transformation. When I have made decisions that alter the course of my life and radically change my reality, they usually come on the heels of some kind of struggle. Perhaps, I have known for a long time that something is ready to shift in my life ~ perhaps, I have tried to avoid it or get around it. The space between knowing that a change is imminent ~ and making that change ~ is quite often my place of struggle.
Struggle often accompanies the process of alignment. When we are getting all part of ourselves on the same page, there is a tug-of-war experience that most of us go through. And this turbulent dance is often less graceful than we like. We are learning ~ we are transforming ~ and we are coming into a deeper sense of integrity. This time is necessary for refinement and preparation. Take all you can from the journey.
Time spent in the realm of the unknown can feel like a struggle. We human beings like to think we have it all under control and we know what’s right around the corner. It helps us feel safe and secure. If you think about it though, we really never do know what is right around the corner ~ most of us have been blindsided at some point in our lives. We don’t usually like it.
At the same time, a predictable life without surprise and adventure ends up leaving us feeling bored and empty and there is a part within that longs for something new and different. We don’t have to jump right into the abyss of the unknown. Just open up a little to the possibility of the unexpected. Surprises can be fun! And miracles can be revolutionary.
Let’s get started!
Identify any place in your life or in yourself that feels like struggle right now ~ where do you feel it? Describe the feeling. Now, choose one little aspect of this that you can embrace. How does that feel?
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