Find solutions to some of life's difficult problems

      

 We live in troubled times, from personal issues to world crises, economic challenges to challenging relationships. Stress has become a common part of our everyday lives. Some individuals manage to cope and keep things in healthy perspective. For others, these challenges can result in unhealthy reactions like anxiety, depression, and even alcohol abuse. However, it's often hard to judge when normal feelings of worry, fear, and stress cross the line and become a serious condition that impacts both your emotional and physical health. With proper evaluation, anxiety disorders are treatable. Through medication or psychological therapy, or both, they can be brought under control.

     The good news is that there are real solutions to these serious issues. Understanding why someone is anxious, depressed, or abusing alcohol is the first step. Knowing the treatment options—both medical and therapeutic—is critical to resolving these difficult problems. If you have ever suffered from depression or been close to someone who has, you know that this illness cannot be wished away or relieved at will. Depression can have enormous depth and staying power, but there are a variety of medications and treatments that provide real help. A recent study showed that for those who stuck with treatment, depression lifted completely in seven out of 10 people, and others experienced relief of many symptoms. But discovering which treatment options work best requires knowledge and perseverance.

EASY VS DIFFICULT

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes
Easy is to talk without thinking Difficult is to refrain the tongue
Easy is to hurt someone who loves us. Difficult is to heal the wound…
Easy is to forgive others Difficult is to ask for forgiveness
Easy is to set rules. Difficult is to follow them…
Easy is to dream every night. Difficult is to fight for a dream…
Easy is to show victory. Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity…
Easy is to admire a full moon. Difficult to see the other side…
Easy is to stumble with a stone. Difficult is to get up…
Easy is to enjoy life every day. Difficult to give its real value…
Easy is to promise something to someone. Difficult is to fulfill that promise…
Easy is to say we love. Difficult is to show it every day…
Easy is to criticize others. Difficult is to improve oneself…
Easy is to make mistakes. Difficult is to learn from them…
Easy is to weep for a lost love. Difficult is to take care of it so not to lose it.
Easy is to think about improving. Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action…
Easy is to think bad of others Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt…
Easy is to receive Difficult is to give
Easy to read this Difficult to follow
Easy is keep the friendship with words Difficult is to keep it with meanings

Hard Times do not Last Forever

Comfort is what you have when God gives you the victory. Then, you can pass it on to others. ~ Raye Adkins

Maya Angelou writes, "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

Life is a winding road and it takes us places we do not plan or want to go. While on it, we will find ourselves faced with challenges that test our endurance and belief systems. We will have our ups and our downs. The good news is that troubles can encourage or prompt us to discover some of the greatest successes of our lives.

Before exploring ways of getting through the struggle, I will start with the end in mind and some possible outcomes. Trailblazers often emerge as the result of a crisis they have successfully navigated.

Troubles teach us things we did not know and help develop new levels of awareness. As the metamorphosis occurs, you achieve what did not seem possible.

And on the other side of the experience, you may be transformed and better able to meet new challenges. Pioneers have found in themselves what I hope you will discover--- the new you. The new you will be changed, able to make it through the difficult times while experiencing some unexpected successes.

As we look at getting to the other side of trouble, there are some stages. Initially, we ask ourselves, "How am I going to get through this?" or, "Why am I going through this?" There is of course, the give-up, "I refuse to do this--I can't." The breakthrough comes when you trust that difficult times are the backdrop for "growth spurts".

Growth spurts happen without warning and are for an undesignated period. Like troubles, they disappear as quickly and unannounced as they arrived. Your goal is to figure out how to get through the tough times. Critical to your success is keeping a winning attitude.

Believe that you will get to the finish line. Hard times do not last forever. If you think, "this will take forever", you can be certain that it will. When you recognize that the crisis has a stop sign, you have taken an important step. Remember, you are greater than your circumstances and the greatest power is within you.

Avoid focusing on the problem. Do a rollback and reflect on blessings or successes from your past that you are thankful for. As you recall them, write each one, remember how you felt and what got you through it. During the day and the last thing at night, focus on victories. Plan to open your eyes each day in the manner you ended the night before, with positive thoughts that remind you of the best from your past.

Initially, starting each day with only positive feelings may be difficult. If so, write them out and read them as soon as you rise in morning. The goal is to flood the mind with hopeful messages and totally replace any self-defeating thoughts.

Now you are on the path to peacefully overcoming troubles and despite new challenges; you will make it to the finish line.

Inspired by Raye Adkins, an award-winning former public school principal turned nonprofit executive, expert on caring for children facing loss and poverty, and author