STAYING POSITIVE DURING TRYING SEASONS

Written by Dara Sweatt

I am not going to lie, September was a HARD month for me.

It didn’t matter that it was my birthday and filled with concerts, weddings, and travel, it was HARD.

It was not just busy with minimal to no rest time, it was financially draining, spiritually draining, and emotionally draining as well. 

I mentioned on the latest episode this week how I felt like I had been going through a season of correction. 

What I mean by that is exactly as it sounds. 

I felt like every time I turned around, I was being adjusted and corrected by my peers, my co-workers, clients, friends, mentors, family, YOU NAME IT SOMEONE HAD SOMETHING TO ADJUST.

And just to be punny, I am literally getting corrected in physical therapy right now dealing with an old knee injury and new found hip inflammation. 

I have to admit, none of these ‘corrections’ have been hurtful or bad or anything like that, but definitely a time where things have been brought to my attention because I’m being held accountable by the people in my life to be the person I claim I want to be. 

Here are some things that I kept doing every single day, no matter how I felt, to keep my routine as best I could and push through the trying time and stay as positive as possible.

• Practiced Gratitude

  • 3 things every day. Takes less than 3 minutes.

• Stayed Active

  • Even though my schedule was busy and I wasn’t doing my normal 5 days at the gym, I still showed up 2-3 times. Maybe twice was the gym and 1 was a run. Either way, I moved my body and released some stress.

• Prayed...a LOT

  • I consistently begged the Lord to take my anxiety away and to help me hold on and keep pushing through, repeating scripture over and over to let the enemy know he can’t and won’t win over the promise God has given us.

• Communicated my Feelings

  • No matter how big or small. To my friends, to my boyfriend, to my boss. If you don’t tell someone what is on your mind, no one will know. You cannot just assume that your posture or energy is going to tell someone how you feel. You gotta open your mouth and speak. 

• Asked for Advice

  • This part can sometimes be the hardest because maybe what you need advice on is embarrassing or personal, but we are creatures of community so I’m grateful for my mentors and friends who I can trust to call and love me when needed. 

I’ll be honest, if this season had happened a year ago or more, I would have broken down completely. I would have slipped into a depression and pushed everyone away and spiraled for a while until getting a grip again or something completely opposite...

This journey of gratitude and balancing health and wellness is SO important. We all have things going on in our lives that make us ‘busy’ or ‘tired’ or fill in the blank, but if we keep up with these little things consistently, they can make a HUGE difference when it comes down to it.

I hope you stay inspired and keep pushing to be the best version of yourself no matter what trying season you are or will go through.

You got this!