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Struggle is an inherent part of human existence - a constant companion in our journey. Whether physical, emotional, or mental, struggles test our resilience, shape our personalities, and bring transformation in our lives.
Imagine walking through a dense forest. You can't seem to find a clear path. You trip over roots, push through the dense undergrowth, and are scraped by the branches. That’s a struggle. Now you may ask why it’s a necessity? Interestingly, without that struggle - without those little victory stories of overcoming each hurdle, your journey would lack substance and lessons of courage, patience, and perseverance.
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
- Confucius
Struggle can manifest in many forms - procrastination, fear, anxiety, financial difficulties, strained relationships, or health problems. Essentially, it’s our intrinsic response when faced with circumstances that challenge our normal routine or comfort zone. It's a signal that we need to adapt, learn, and grow. Yet, the process of struggle can be as daunting as it is beneficial.
So, how does one overcome struggle? Overcoming struggle involves recognizing it, understanding its root cause, and actively pursuing solutions. It’s about changing our perception from viewing struggles as hurdles to seeing them as opportunities to grow and learn. Embracing struggle, rather than avoiding it, paves the way for inner growth and development. It helps us to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity.
Remember, struggles can break you, or they can make you stronger. It all depends on how you choose to respond.
Struggle can best be defined as "the great difficulty or effort required to conquer, prevent, protect, overcome, or accomplish something". It often appears as daunting challenges, rough patches, or seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It's these 'mountains' we feel we must climb that represent our various struggles. Your struggle can be as tangible as financial hardship, or as abstract as a fear of failure. It can stem from external circumstances, such as living situation or job stress, or internal battles, like self-doubt or emotional trauma.
Every individual's struggle is unique; however, most struggles can be broadly categorized into internal struggles and external struggles.
Whether your struggle is internal or external, it's important to remember that struggles are part of life, and overcoming them is part of the human journey.
Struggle often manifests itself in various forms. It's not always obvious or readily apparent, it’s usually subtle and it creeps into different aspects of our lives. It often has physical manifestations. You might find yourself constantly fatigued, losing or gaining weight unexpectedly, suffering from disrupted sleep, or lacking interest in previously enjoyable activities. These physical signs are your body's response to the stress and anxiety associated with your struggle.
Take note of these signs as they can provide insightful cues about your internal state and be indicators that it's time to seek help and initiate action towards resolution.
Let's explore the numerous ways in which struggle may emerge in your life.
We navigate through different stages and face different battles as we grapple with our life's journeys, which can prompt struggle to manifest in specific areas of life. Six of these areas can be particularly tumultuous, namely:
Understanding the triggers of struggle is a significant step towards overcoming it. These triggers, often deeply rooted in our personal experiences, perceptions, and values, can range from day-to-day stressors to more significant, life-altering events.
Your struggles can be compared to an ever-growing pile of garbage. Ignoring them won't make them disappear. Just like the trash heap, they continue to grow, lurking in the back of your mind and gradually becoming more overwhelming.
These struggles don't just wait passively. They intensify over time, often spiraling out of control. This can significantly impact your ability to enjoy life or carry out daily functions. Ignoring your struggles makes it even harder to solve them.
Ignoring struggles as they escalate is like letting a wound fester instead of treating it. The longer it lasts, the worse it grows. Allowing them to flourish in this way hardly rewards you.
Unaddressed struggles can seep into all aspects of your life. They could cause short tempers, nervous tics, or a feeling of restlessness and dissatisfaction. They can affect personal relationships and work performance.
There's a chance you'll encounter several changes in your daily life as a result of ongoing struggles. Feelings of anxiety or unease, which might be generally uncharacteristic, may become more frequent. There could also be an increase in emotional reactions such as anger, irritability or sadness. Your appetite might change, possibly leading to weight gain or loss, and your sleep patterns may be disrupted, causing insomnia or excessive sleepiness. Struggles can also lead to an exaggerated focus on certain areas, like work, resulting in longer hours at the expense of personal time and balance.
Additional potential implications might include:
Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Struggle isn't necessarily a negative thing, as many tend to perceive it. In fact, it is through struggle that the texture of our lives is enriched, much like the plot of a captivating movie. Picture this: a film where the protagonist triumphs easily at every turn, always winning without any challenge. It wouldn't make stimulating viewing, right? The same goes for our lives. Without highs and lows, victories and defeats, we are left with monotony which in turn, leaves us feeling passive and unfulfilled. So, in many ways, we crave struggle. We yearn for it. We understand its profound power to instigate change, bring about growth, and build endurance.
However, where the true complication lies is in our ability, or at times, inability to navigate these struggles. It's important to remember that being smart, resilient or well-off financially, doesn't automatically spell success. So often, we find ourselves bumping against unseen barriers preventing us from overcoming our struggles.
These elusive roadblocks might seem intangible but their impacts on our lives are very real.
With the understanding of struggle and its manifestations, it's crucial to acknowledge the link to trapped emotions. These capture the emotional energy of challenging experiences and may burden us, causing both psychological and physical discomfort. Sadly, they often lay undetected as root causes of many ongoing struggles.
Fortunately, you're not helpless against these trapped emotions. They can be identified and released. You can free yourself from these invisible bonds and move towards a happier and healthier life. Here's a recommendation that might surprise you: try an emotional code session. This technique aimed at uncovering and releasing trapped emotions, has benefitted many. It involves identifying precise emotions that contribute to your present struggle, and systematically releasing them, bringing about an emotional rebalancing that's often accompanied by a noticeable sense of relief.
Remember, engaging in an emotion code session is not just an act of self-love, but also a proactive measure to cool the fires of struggle. Your journey through struggle can indeed be challenging, but with the right strategies and mindful practices like freeing trapped emotions, you're certainly better equipped to navigate your way through.