Everyone struggles. It is a normal part of life. The issue grows, however, when we ignore, resist or unhealthily cope with struggles. When you start to become more aware of your struggles and understand them, you can recognise them as a normal part of the human experience. Your struggles don’t define who you are, but the way you approach and manage them can shape your identity and provide an opportunity for growth. There are many struggles that are common and are easy to learn about, whereas others like ADHD and Autism, research is becoming more prevalent now there is a growing awareness about it.
To help you on your journey to a better and more fulfilling life, here are some top tips to help you better understand your struggles and support yourself.
Get curious
Try not to resist what is going on with you, or overanalyse it. Find a middle ground where you can get curious about what is going on. Pay attention to what your thoughts are saying and what is going on with your body. It can be helpful to make a note of these things.
Be compassionate
It is important that you are not critical of yourself on this journey, this will only make things worse. If you cannot be kind to yourself, then at least try to remain neutral. It is okay and normal to go through struggles in life, so make sure you reassure yourself of that.
Accept and name emotions
When things are heavy and coming up for you, people tend to resist or get caught up in them. A great thing you can do is to try to accept and name your emotions. This helps you to acknowledge them without judgement, start to access the logical part of your brain, give you clues about your needs, and help you to not get too caught up and prolong the emotion.
Connect with your body
The mind-body connection is really important to help you better understand yourself and your struggles. Most people will just focus on their minds. While this is important, it misses out the body which is an integral part of the healing process. Try to bring awareness to what is going on with your body at any given moment, especially when you are activated or triggered. This can help you to identify what is going on with you, what state your nervous system has shifted to and then help you to better support yourself to move back to a more balanced state.
Seek support
Support is a key part of your journey. This can start with a trusted friend or family member that you can co-regulate with and confide in.
It is also important that you seek professional support. You can do this with a therapist or group support programs. You should seek further support if you feel like there is something going on with you, such as ADHD. With increased awareness, you may start to notice that you resonate with something like ADHD. If this is the case, then the next recommended step would be to seek an ADHD test.
Struggles are a normal part of being human. However, this doesn’t mean you should ignore it or go at it alone.
