5 Things to Remember in Hard Seasons
We all have our path to walk here on this earth, and it seems like it is a given in human nature that we will have good seasons and seasons that are filled with grief, pain, and hardship. One of our most painful seasons was about ten years ago when we were doing what we felt called to do, yet EVERYTHING was a challenge. It seemed like we were walking around in mud, and this particular season did not end for THREE years. It’s pretty easy to hang on for a day or two when things in your life aren’t working out, but when it becomes day after day, month after month, and year after year, it challenges you on a core level. None of us walk the same path but here’s a few things to cling to if you are in a hard season!
Life Has a Natural Ebb and Flow: I’m going to tell you a secret. Are you ready? Listening? Whatever you are going through WILL NOT last forever. Feels good to know that, doesn’t it? I’ve spent a lot of time reading different people’s stories and biographies and the cool thing about humans is that, when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of making a change, something happens! Remember that life has a natural ebb and flow and, just like the seasons, not all of your life will be hard. There will be a season where you will feel happiness again.
Take the Inward Journey: Some of my most significant inward growth has happened during my hard seasons. Those seasons felt like I was losing part of myself and challenged me daily to keep going. One thought that I meditated on a lot during those times was the lyrics from a beautiful song by called Seasons:
Like the frost on a rose
Winter comes for us all
Oh how nature acquaints us
With the nature of patience
Like a seed in the snow
I’ve been buried to grow
I love the rich imagery of something actually taking place in Winter that leads to growth in Spring. Some things on your journey might never be explained. For us, something was happening internally during those deep dark hard Winter season times and the results came when we entered a new season. It seems impossible to say but there were so many internal character things that changed for the best after my Winter season. If you are in a hard season, go inwards. Get to know yourself and invest in yourself. Use it as a time to search for the deeper meanings of life. You might be surprised what treasures you will find.
Take Small Breaks that Include Fun and Humor: In one of our hardest seasons we had a lack of both time and money. We had to get creative and take small breaks throughout the day. Taking a walk, reading a few pages of a book, eating a special treat, watching a funny YouTube, dancing, whatever it is, get creative! Whenever possible, get out of your current environment (even if it’s for 15 minutes!) because that can help you get into a different head space.
Realize Your Capacity and Live Within It: When you are in a hard season, it is a great thing to remember that your internal and external capacity as a human will be running on fumes. Having a working knowledge that you won’t have a lot of extra space for extra (activities, social engagements, fill in the blank) can help you pare down your life to the basics while you are recovering. It also helps you to have grace for yourself! One of our biggest blessings during that time was having a certain friend that was easy to be around. Try to foster your friendships that are fun, easy, and light. You don’t have capacity for friends that aren’t understanding or are demanding.
Remaining in the Present Tense: My thought life can spiral out of control pretty quickly when I’m thinking too much in the future tense. Try as hard as you can to take one small moment at a time and live each day just for that day. Our brains weren’t wired to think of the next zillion days, and thinking too far in advance is especially taxing when you are lacking strength. I would think about this phrase a lot: The journey is the destination.
No matter what you are currently going through, we hope this post can help you find a small little window of hope into your situation. Keep going, you can do it!
Blessings,
Alyssa