Day 31 – Reflecting on the challenges
I began this month trying to figure out what I could use this blog for. I decided since it was mental health awareness month to use it to write things that are related to mental health…but in particular posts that were encouraging to people so that the posts could help boost our mental health together. I hadn’t written in a long time, and I was trying to find a way back into writing. And trying to stretch my own capacity for creativity and writing.
And today when I was thinking about the challenge that I had put forth for myself, to spend a portion of each day doing something that was focused at helping others and helping myself by growing, I realized that I had accomplished more than I thought I would this month. This month was full of trials and tribulations that I hadn’t expected at all in my personal life. And this blog really has served to help me sort out those issues and helped me find people who have similar problems in their lives.
What I also thought about today is how important it is to reflect upon our challenges in life. I’m not sure that I’ve really reflected on things in this manner before. Normally if I look back on a challenge it isn’t usually with the notion that I’ve passed the challenge. I have a tendency to dwell upon the challenge as something that I wish hadn’t happened, and don’t look at the fact that I have made it through, and I am continuing to make it through. I am usually just frustrated by the challenge itself in general. In my head I know that we all have challenges and that we can and should learn from them, but when we look at our own instead of at other people’s it’s a lot harder to tell where the challenge begins and ends, and whether or not we’ve actually overcome or accomplished anything. But in reality we have all overcome and accomplished things because of and in spite of our challenges. And I think taking the time to look at them in that manner is necessary to our well-being. We have to be able to look at ourselves and see the good things, see the accomplishments (even if at first we feel they are minimal at best), see that we are survivors, so that we can remind ourselves that we are achievers.
When we know who we are, we can know where we can go. And I firmly believe that we can go anywhere we want to go. In fact, we will go wherever we want to go, because that’s the way things work.
(just a note, I’m not stopping the blog, just reflecting on this month)
Posted on May 31, 2012, in 31 days of May, writing and tagged challenge, courage, faith, hope, love, mental health, mental health month, overcoming, reflecting, reflection, self-esteem, self-help, self-worth. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
betweenfearandlove 
Well put. A tree un-blown by wind is often weak. Like Eleanor Roosevelt said “We must do those things we think we can not”
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Thanks, I agree. It’s necessary to try, even if it seems a bit out of our reach. 🙂
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Challenges are always there, its the human’s will to decide how far she or he wants to go… and in this day and age, the skies are no longer our limits, we have already reached them.
Regards
A. H. Amin
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A very good point! Thank you 🙂
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Everyone, of course, goes through some kind of trouble and hardship in their lives and I can only speak from my own personal experience… but whenever I’ve looked back, I’ve always been able to see how I’ve changed for the better as a result. I keep that in mind as I go through this divorce. I KNOW there’s a new life, a new adventure waiting for me out there. I know the next year might be a little rough, but when I think about the alternative… not being able to see my son being the huge one… I’m so very grateful for that extra time with him.
We went to the park yesterday and today; yesterday, in the car, he was talking about playing his X-Box. I’ll often sit there and watch him play or I’ll help him get through a level. (His current favourite is an old Finding Nemo game I picked up for a dollar at the used book store LOL) As he was talking about it, he said “Daddy, I like hanging out with you…” and it completely melted my heart.
I know these are the times I’ll look back on with fond memories – going to the park, listening to Boo Bass and Toyz Noize in the car, playing X-Box – in the midst of this emotional turmoil and impending divorce, he is my rock. Sometimes I’ll think about this when we’re driving somewhere and, once we’re there, as he’s getting out of the car, I’ll say “gimme a hug!” He’ll kinda pull a face a little but he always does. He doesn’t understand why i need the hug… but that’s okay. He understands that he doesn’t always need to know the reason for the hug, it’s just enough to know that one is needed 🙂
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Those are some of the best memories. And it’s good that you value them so much. So many people forget to remember how quickly times can change and how important it is to take it all in. At one point in my life my nephews had moved several states away, and it was the first time I had really been away from them, and I would just sit on the phone and listen to them play their games. They were 4 and 5 at the time I think. They’d talk to me occasionally, but mostly they’d just let me listen, and I loved it. I realized just how much I missed having them around all the time when they were gone. And how much of the little things really do make your day. 🙂
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It’s always good to look back and see all the challenges that we have met and overcome in some instances. It’s a positive outlook….Diane
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It is! thanks! 🙂
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I think this builds on yesterdays “growing to our highest heights” entry.
Reflection is essential to identifying and appreciating all branches of your life and in which direction you want to stretch those limbs to feel the breeze, sunlight and raindrops….
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That’s a good point. Thanks for bringing that all together! It really does flow that way in life! 🙂
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‘But in reality we have all overcome and accomplished things because of and in spite of our challenges.’ I love this, it is so true. The purpose of facing certain challenges are to make us stronger and to build our faith in God. We can’t grow, I believe, if we are not stretched beyond our comfort zone.
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You are right. We definitely have to go beyond our comfort zone to grow. Thank you for sharing and stopping by! 🙂
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