Whenever I am challenged, I tell myself (I tell this to my clients too), that I have been through things that are 10,000 times worse than this. I have been greatly challenged in my life, particularly the first 26years of my life. I was challenged in ways that most people simply cannot relate to, and in ways that were exceedingly unfair. I didn’t deserve such immense heartache and mental distress…without much reprieve at all… but one absolutely amazing thing that these kinds of consistent struggles bring, is a very high level of resilience and inner strength.
I think that I forget this sometimes and hey, I still get challenged to this day, but I must consistently remind myself that “I’ve got this” … I have been through MUCH worse than this.
Really, I have been considering how this would work for my clients. I need to make it very clear to them, most of whom, are still in struggle town in the beginning stages of their recovery, that they can literally look at it this way…. If you’ve been through considerable mental distress, and you’re still standing, you can literally do anything. People that have experienced mental illness, are ahead of the game; they are much more resilient than they may realise, and certainly more capable than other people may think.
I started off with absolutely nothing, and from the very beginning, I started to take small steps forward – very small even, but still steps forward. I attribute where I am in my life today, (which is literally full to the brim with amazing things and amazing people) to this daily practice. I was very, very afraid of moving forward in my life, and it was very, very uncomfortable at times, but hey, I just had to remind myself of where I had been, and I had to just know that I had enough strength to get through absolutely anything. So set goals for your life that align with this truth…
This is a welcome reminder. As sometimes I get challenged in ways that I still feel are essentially unfair…. Sometimes I feel like life shouldn’t be this challenging. But it is what it is, and this is my lot in life. But then when I have days and weeks that go exceptionally well (which does happen a fair bit actually!) I feel so incredibly blessed, and so incredibly happy (almost to the point of bursting). And this makes all the challenges – even the unfair ones – completely worth it, 100%.
This is the kind of message that I need to express to my clients, as I am sure they can find a bit of hope and a bit of extra strength and resilience… which is key. So, I will remind them.
So, remember, if you have been greatly challenged in your past, and if you are still standing, that makes you incredibly strong and resilient, and actually…. Absolutely amazing. Don’t forget it.
You are immeasurably strong. You’ve got this.
Love Kate xxx
Kate's Niche 