One of my favorite eras is World War 2.  I love reading historical fiction and non-fiction books about the war.  I have been fascinated with this time period because although I knew the outcome of the war, the people at the time didn’t.  They had no idea that a dictator was on the rise.  That a set of people would be sent to death because of their cultural and religious identities and the color of their skin.  At the time, no one knew how the war would end or if their loved ones would come back in one piece or be missing in action.  The more I read the more I wanted to learn how individuals coped with the war.  Did they stand up for what they believed in or were they paralyzed by fear?  Did their faith guide them through extremely difficult times or did they mentally surrender?  Did they think of only themselves or the greater good? In all of my readings, what I have learned thus far is that we can do hard things.  Even in today’s world, we can do hard things.  Let’s break apart this statement.

We.  Not you.  Not me.  Not them but we.  If you are experiencing loneliness, isolation, anxiety, judgement, fear, discrimination, intense emotional pain or all of the above, you are not alone.  Reach out to someone you trust.  Share with them your thoughts and feelings. We humans have a fundamental need to connect with others.  If there is no one you feel safe talking to then please reach out to a mental health professional, including myself.  Knowing you are not alone is half the battle.  We also means to help others.  Use your voice and other resources for causes which you believe in.  Helping others will reduce feelings of helplessness.

Can do. When things feel so overwhelming, I want you to focus on what you can do.  What is in your control?  That might look like taking a much needed break from the news and social media.  It might look like choosing to go outside to connect with nature.  It might include eating foods and doing activities which help you to feel strong and healthy.   Or saying no to a request or taking action steps to help others in need.  Point being focus on what you can do in this given moment.

Hard things.   Mostly likely your hard thing is different than someone else’s hard thing.  To overcome hard things we first have to acknowledge this hard thing exists.  This requires us to be vulnerable with our own thoughts and feelings. Ironically, the more you allow yourself to feel all of your feelings, the less power they will have over you.  The less power they have over you the more mental space you will have to take action steps to overcome this hard thing.  We were born to do hard things.