Spiritual and Practical Tips for Challenging Times
Challenging Times.
My life is changing. The old era is ending, and the new one is beginning. But nothing is settled yet, and fear continues to creep in. It’s different now though. The way I feel about it. The way I deal with life’s challenges has changed.
Relationships and situationships are ending, and I am moving house again. But this time, I have no idea where I’m going. I have a short window and a deadline to change my entire life.
My guidance tells me there is a leap of faith in my future. And I have faith and trust that it is all going to work out in my favor.
None of it would have been possible in the past, or in past versions of me. The person I was before my spiritual awakening was paralyzed by fear and anxiety. That version of me was unable to change my life. The challenges felt overwhelming.
But now, I have my spiritual foundation and my healed and healthy self to carry me through. I have practices that help me through any fears. I have intentions and intuitive guidance that keep me going towards my goals. My practices, my intentions, my actions, are my spiritual foundation.
Spiritual Foundations.
The other day I realized that I had been using my spiritual practices, and relying on my spiritual foundation, to get me through the dissolution of my own life and the chaos of our current time. They are keeping me grounded when all around me seems to be falling apart.
Each time I feel myself becoming fearful, stressed, or anxious, I rely on my practices. Some are based on mindfulness. Some are purely spiritual, and some are somewhere in between.
Each one of my favorite practices supports me in a different way, supports a different need or aspect of me. Knowing what my needs are and how to fulfil them is how I create a life with more inner peace. It is from that frequency of inner peace that I connect with my inner Divinity, my soul.
My spiritual practices, when combined with my intentions, and inspired actions, create a spiritual foundation. It is that spiritual foundation that allows me to move through challenges with more ease, and more love, wisdom, and abundance.
What I love about it is that none of this is exclusive to me. We all are able create a spiritual foundation using practices that support us during challenging times.
Spiritual and Practical Tips for Challenging Times.
While on social media the other day, I noticed that people kept asking for practical solutions. So many of us see what is happening and want to help or need help. We just don’t quite know what to do.
That’s why I’m sharing the practices I use, how and when I use them. I’m also sharing the language, the words, and questions that I use to navigate life’s challenges.
Timeout – When we feel ourselves becoming dysregulated emotionally during a challenge, we can give ourselves a timeout. Bring awareness to how dysregulation feels in the body, or how it sounds in the mind. When it is noticed, we can stop what we are doing and take a timeout.
We can step away and provide ourselves with space and time to decompress or whatever is needed in the moment. A vacant space in the office, a moment to ourselves in our sanctuary, or anywhere else that fills the need in the moment.
If you’re with people in the moment, it’s okay to say, “I need to walk away from this conversation.” Another way it can be said is, “Can we finish this conversation later? I need a moment with it.”
A few times I have stopped, mid-argument, and said, “I’m becoming dysregulated, and I am putting myself in timeout.” After saying that I walk out and close the door behind me.
It is so important that we know our limits and can stop and change course when the stress or energy becomes overwhelming. Or when we are in the heat of a situation and need to cool down. Knowing when to take a timeout preserves our energy and peace.
What would you say to take a timeout?
Calming Our Energy – Whether we are sitting in timeout or in need of calm, there are many ways to calm our energy. Breathwork, grounding into the body, music or meditation on an app, viewing calm scenery, or whatever calms you.
Another way to invite calm energy is to acknowledge and release overwhelming energy. We can talk to our spirit team, say our favorite prayer, speak an affirmation or intention, or anything that calms us can be used anytime it is needed.
There are as many ways to calm us as there are people. The point is that once we are in a timeout we have an opportunity to calm ourselves and regulate our emotions.
Being calm during challenging times is a superpower. We can see and think more clearly. We are spending less energy, so we have more energy to do or be what we need to do or be while facing life’s challenges.
What calms you in challenging times?
Gentle Investigation – Sometimes we know what has dysregulated us. An argument, a life change, or stressful news can cause a whole host of emotions. But sometimes we may not fully understand what is upsetting us, or why it is causing so much stress.
Sometimes our reaction to life’s challenges requires gentle investigation. Being gentle with ourselves and asking questions will help us know what we are reacting to, or what we need. And sometimes simply knowing what is causing our reaction is enough to diffuse the situation.
Here are some of the questions that I have used during gentle investigations into my emotional state:
What emotion am I experiencing? What is inspiring this emotion? What is true in this moment? What do I need in this moment? What does my body/mind/heart/soul need in this moment?
What questions would you ask yourself?
Support – The support we need isn’t always around for us, but support for ourselves can always be accessed. Our gentle investigation can guide us to the support we need. Whatever that looks like or feels like to us in the moment.
Do we need to love ourselves a little more? A self-hug? Do we need a cry? Do we need to have a conversation with someone, with spirit? Do we need to change our plans or path? Do we need support from someone, from spirit?
Being able to support ourselves during challenging times, again I feel is a superpower. Each one of us experiences challenges differently. The people in our lives have their own experiences and may not be able to support us in the way we need.
For those of you who don’t have people who support us, self-support is a necessary life skill. We need to be able to support ourselves emotionally during life’s challenges. It will allow us to navigate life with more ease.
What helps you to feel supported?
Affirmations, Prayers, and Gratitude – Sometimes the support we need is a fresh perspective. Maybe we need to calm or change the intrusive and unhelpful thoughts. Or maybe we need a new focus for our thoughts.
Affirmations can help focus our energy or even change our energy. Affirming intentions for calm or for a different path can be helpful. Prayer is a form of affirmation and can be just as helpful.
The most powerful affirmations or prayers are of gratitude. No matter what the situation, gratitude has the power to change our frequency, our energy. They don’t have to big declarations of gratitude, sometimes it is easier to start by being grateful for the smallest, most seemingly insignificant thing.
Once in a timeout, after a heated argument that I wanted nothing to do with, I was grateful for holding myself together. Other times I have been grateful for soft socks, or the temperature of my cup of tea. Sometimes it is easier to start small and work our way up to the fullness of gratitude energy.
What affirmations, prayers, or expressions of gratitude help you in times of challenge?
Help from Spirit – It is in our most challenging times that we most often reach for our spirit team. I find it is best to do it from a calm place. Yes, we can sometimes scream at Spirit in pain, but we are best served when we are calm and clear.
Asking for help is challenging for some of us. But there are questions that need to be asked especially during challenges. And especially when we see our lives as being guided by spirit such as walking a spiritual path or experiencing a spiritual awakening. The questions we ask of spirit can help us move forward and through the challenges.
What is my next right step? What is another perspective I can take in this situation? Where do you want me in this moment? How can I best serve in this situation? What is aligned with fulfillment of my soul’s purpose?
How do you reach out to spirit in times of challenge?
Challenging Times.
No matter who we are or where we are, we will have challenging times in our lives. It is just what happens. But we don’t have to suffer through them. We can move through the challenges with more ease while taking care of our own energy.
By using our practices and knowing when to remove ourselves from a situation, we can navigate challenges differently. We can move through the energies with more love for ourselves and others. We can face life’s challenges with clear-eyed wisdom. And move through it all with an abundance of positive energies.
It has been said that we create our reality. By employing strategies that help us navigate the challenges with more ease, we are creating a more peaceful reality. We are creating a reality in which we can navigate almost any challenge while having a more peaceful and grounded experience.
Create your own spiritual and practical strategies for navigating through challenges. Set the intentions, write down your intentions, invest in your practices, and be gentle with yourself. Life’s challenges will move on, and you will be better prepared for what comes. And so will I.
I’m grateful you’re here. I love you.
Be well, beautiful soul,
Nikki