Staying Motivated In Dark Times
One of the greatest road blocks I hear from students, clients and I deal with myself is motivation. How does one stay motivated – especially in the midst of trying times and difficulty? Well, the short answer if you cannot unless you make it a habit during your brighter times. Then, when times get dark, you have something to fall back on.
Yes, our bodies are equipped to adapt when stressors come our way or life gets trying. Our bodies can switch on via our nervous system. The problem is our minds have no such mechanisms and we have not been trained or taught how to think when times are bleak. All we know to do is fight, flight or freeze. Se, we react out of fear, run away or distract ourselves, or do nothing. None of these are helpful when we need to keep moving during the darker times.
The easiest way is to put strategies into place when things are going well; but most people won’t do this. They wait until the car breaks down before getting a tune up. Our bodies and our lives, like our cars and our computers, must have consistent check ups and tune ups. Just as we go to have an annual medical check up, we need to adopt the same strategy for our minds. So when things get dark – a job loss, a divorce or break up, a financial setback, or the death of a loved one – what will you do to keep yourself motivated to accomplish the tasks that must get done? Most especially if you have someone depending on you, like small children or elderly relatives?
The solution is to not wait until something happens that will knock you off kilter; put practices and strategies in place now, during the brighter moments when you are more focused and can see and think clearly. Because I guarantee that when those bleak moments come, and they come to us all, you will not think or see as clearly or even focus on your tasks at hand. It is like having insurance. You don’t need it in the moment but you want to have it when you do need it. If you can put practices into place now, you will be more equipped when the dark times do come to visit.
The first practice is simply to stop. Learning to take a sacred pause takes you out of your reactive mode, where you operate out of fear and worry. In the long run, this is not a great solution. Stopping must be your first practice. Then, breathe! Taking a few conscious, deep breaths brings you out of fear mode and into present moment thinking. When you are in fear mode, you don’t thin, you react – you do what you have always done. Breathing releases your natural pathways to re-discovery and re-connection to your inner wisdom. You innately know what needs to be done, but because you have been reacting all of your life and operating out of fear, that is what you know to do. Then, ask yourself some urgent questions, like:
“What is this adversity coming to teach me?”
“What am I meant to learn?”
“How can this situation strengthen me?”
“What inspired actions can I take right now?”
“Who can I call on for support?”
Stopping, taking a breath and asking are the first three practices for maneuvering during a setback. On the surface, these seem like simple steps, but in a time of crisis, you will need something simple yet profound to hold on to. When you can stay motivated to carry on during happy times – and make it a spiritual practice – then you won’t find yourself so desolate during the storms of life.
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As a Spiritual Animator, Author and Advocate, Carolyn Townes has been teaching, coaching and facilitating workshops for over a decade in the areas of women’s wellness. Founder of Spirit Women Institute, she is dedicated to empowering and encouraging women to lead lives of peace and prosperity, journeying with those going through difficult life transitions.
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