Surviving Life's Low Points: The Power of Positive Affirmations

We have all been there- that moment when life brings us down on our knees, asking the heaven’s why? “What have I done to deserve this? So, I’ve gotten away with a few white lies, but do I really deserve this punishment.”

When things in life don’t go according to “our plans,” we begin to question where we went wrong and what we can do to change it. We have this constant need to be in control of our current circumstances. When life happens according to its own plan, it’s a smack in the face. A reminder that we are not in control and are very much alive. Life coach Martha Beck couldn’t have said it better: What’s “out there” isn’t trying to ruin our lives. It’s trying to save them. If we learn to give into the lows as well as the highs, we’ll begin to realize that everything happens for a reason, and often it’s a good one.   Giving Up Vs. Giving In   The first step to healing is to give in, not to be confused with giving up. Giving in involves accepting things as is and letting go of the resistance that brings pain, tension, anxiety, and fear. The difference between giving in and giving up is that “giving in” entails hope, faith, and confidence. No matter how horrible things may seem, they will in fact get better.   Spiritual teach Dr. Wayne Dyer advices us to deal with the low points in our lives by embracing a positive belief in the Universe. As stated in his article, Restore Your Faith: “Life is made of peaks and valleys, and being in a valley doesn't mean there isn't a peak on the horizon. In fact, it's usually a good indication that something great is going to come your way. When you're at a low point in your life, keep moving. The only direction you can go is up.”   Healing is a choice, your choice to be exact! You can choose to deal with the pain now by allowing yourself enough time to go through the “five stages of grief,” or avoid the pain at all costs and delay your process of healing and self-growth. Just remember that masking the pain is like foundation on a blemish, it might do a great job at covering it up, but when you wipe it all away the true problem is still there.   Turning Lows into Highs- How Obstacles Become Opportunities   When we’re feeling down it’s easy to get sucked into a vacuum of negative thinking. “I’m not good enough, nothing is ever going to change, life sucks”…we’ve all given into these thoughts and attitudes at some point in our lives. After a series of bad heartbreaks I myself was convinced there was a “kick me” sign hanging right above the doorway to my heart. One of my exes even managed to break my heart and my wallet at the same time. I got an, “I love you, but I’m not in love with, and by the way I’ve just cleared out your bank account.” It was put a lot more nicely of course, but cut me just the same. For years I sat there and complained about how horrible my “love life” was and how men were no good, until I realized that the one holding up the “kick me” sign was me.   To turn a low into a high you have to Accept that despite external factors, you are in control of your happiness. Turn your pain into power by focusing on the good in your life and remaining Positive.When things go wrong, it’s normal to turn all of your focus on the “bad” instead of “the good.” In the example I mentioned above, it was hard for me to see the good in life at the time, but hindsight is 20/20. Turns out my ex is gay. Though I couldn’t see it then, life was sending me a blessing in disguise. We were both young, not really sure what we were getting ourselves into. I could have ended up married to someone who was secretly unhappy and not sure of what he wanted. In the long run, I've realized it was better that our relationship ended that way. Everything truly does happen for a reason and had I known then what I know now, I would of spent less time trying to figure out what the reason was and more time focusing on the good in life and what makes me happy.    Bottom line, there are seeds of opportunity and life lessons in every misfortune.  Obstacles become opportunity for growth when you begin to focus on the “CANS” instead of the “cants.” Take the “low” points in your life as an opportunity to focus on the things you have always wanted to do and CAN change. So you just lost your job…maybe you CAN take this opportunity to go back to school.You’re boyfriend just dumped you? The jerk probably doesn’t deserve you anyways, take the focus away from that failed relationship and use it to better yourself. The two hours you spent talking on the phone CAN be better spent increasing endorphins at the gym. It's omething that will not only relieve some stress but make you feel more fabulous, too.   Claim Your Victory   Don’t mean to sound cliché, but “when life serves you lemons, make lemonade,” and share some of that good stuff with the rest of us. After all, the more positive energy you put out there, the more you’ll receive in return. When you feed into negative thoughts and actions you become your own worst enemy. If you’re not careful negativity can keep you from obtaining the things you want in life. Best-selling Motivational Author Louise Hay believes you can transform your life by staying positive. In an interview with Oprah she stated, “You have to start saying things that you feel really good about yourself. “I love who I am. I love life. Life loves me. It's going to be smooth and easy. Life works for me.' And you just start doing that—it's planting seeds. You're not going to get it the first day, but you plant a seed and you water it and you continue the affirmations, and things start to shift and change in your life." So ditch that self-defeatist attitude and claim your victory now! The more you practice being a happier you, the easier it will be to survive the lows in this wave we call life.   For More articles on self-help, food, fashion, and more, visit Hollypinafore.com.

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