By sharing my sorrows I’ve been privileged to hear other’s struggles. Life can be so hard. We all need strength to face what’s ahead.

I was on a retreat in Nov. ’09 when I had an insight that I needed to strengthen. I didn’t know why, but I felt there was going to be something difficult in the near future. The word strength kept popping up over 2010 and I did my best to strengthen myself.

So how can you strengthen yourself for difficult times?

1. Have a daily spiritual practice. Connect with God in some way – prayer, nature, song, Scripture reading.
2. Gather a support system. Rekindle relationships you thought you didn’t have time for. Make weekly calls to family members. Deepen your friendships. See how you can help others.
3. Learn at least one technique to support your emotions – journaling, Tapping, The Work, the Sedona Method, Emotional Brain Training. And I am sure there are others. Most of us weren’t taught how to deal with emotions.
4. Better yourself physically. Most importantly – get enough sleep. Exercise regularly. Get massages or use massage tools. Eat more fresh food. When your physical body is healthy, it’s easier to deal emotionally.
5. Question your beliefs about yourself. If you constantly wallow in thoughts about how you can’t handle things, when really tough times come you will assume you can’t handle them. Start recalling times when you did handle things.
6. Focus on gratitude. Because I have been ending my journaling with gratitude for the past year, it was habitual even going through a very hard time. I was able to be thankful for the calls, the sunset, the flowers, the lovely letter. Remembering the good, lifts you up during the bad.

None of us make it through life problem-free. The stronger you are, the more resilient you can be.