As You Ring in the New Year....

          It's that time of year again! Just a few more hours until the current year comes to a close and a new one begins! This time can bring about a whole cascade of thoughts, emotions, feelings, and memories; the good and the bad. And if you’re anything like me on New Year’s Eve, you’re probably reflecting on the year you’ve had that’s about to come to a close and wondering what’s in store for the year to come. 

          Every year I find myself reflecting and writing about everything that’s happened the past year; the challenges and struggles, and the highlights and this year something got me thinking. We all encounter challenges; that’s just a part of life, right?

           If you’ve had a tough year, you’re probably wishing for a better year ahead with fewer struggles and more happiness. Who wouldn’t want that? No one wants to feel pain or go through hard times. However through those hard times, every challenge, every struggle you have faced this year has prepared you for what’s in store for the new year that’s about to come in just a few hours and has made you stronger than you can imagine. I know it can be so hard to see our struggles in this way sometimes. Sometimes they just feel incredibly overbearing, and overwhelming that we just want them to end or sometimes even go back in time and pretend like it never happened. But as much as we’d like to sometimes wish it hadn’t, it did happen. And while it may not feel like it right now, it happened for a reason. If you have read my other blog posts, you know that I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Even if it takes years to find out what that reason may be; I do believe that there’s always a reason. I am living proof of just that. My greatest struggles in life have turned into my greatest passion, my calling, and my purpose; helping others through similar struggles.

           So, what’s my point? Where am I going with this? The point that I’m trying to get across is that I know it’s tempting to wish for less or even no struggles in the coming year. And that’s totally understandable. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that by any means. What I am trying to say however, is look at all of the struggles you’ve faced this year and as hard as it may be, rather than looking at the struggles you’ve faced as a negative thing, be grateful for them for they have made you who you are today and they have provided you with the strength and courage you are going to need in the year to come and know that everything you’ve been through this year has happened for a reason and one day I promise, you will discover that reason and it will be the best thing that has ever happened to you. So as you go into the new year, I encourage you to look back at the struggles you've faced this year and embrace them rather than feel bad about them. Trust me, I know that is way easier than done. I know those struggles probably took a major toll on you, caused a lot of hurt, pain, anger, stress, overwhelm, all of the above, and some may have even worn you down to the ground but as I've repeatedly said; they are what has brought you to where you are today, taught you the lessons you needed to learn, and made you one heck of a strong person and each and every struggle you have encountered bring or brought you one step closer to where you want to and are meant to be. So never give up and never lose hope.

Ring in the new year with this thought and you are already off to an amazing year! Thanks so much for reading and best wishes for a very Happy New Year! ~ Compassionately Inspired

Gratitude

Gratitude is a pretty broad concept that we often forget to stop and think about.  I think it’s so easy to forget about this important concept as we get so busy, overwhelmed, and caught up in the ever changing, face-paced, chaos of life.  It’s so easy to be drawn more to everything that’s going wrong or is wrong.  However, by doing that, we often forget to think about or even notice all of the things that are actually pretty great and all that we overlook or even sometimes take for granted.  As a wise person once said, “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful” ~Unknown. 

Trust me, I know that simply “thinking positive” or being grateful can be way easier said than done at times especially when life is particularly rough and you have a lot going on and it feels like all odds are against you, I get it and that is totally normal and absolutely okay!  We all fall into that trap of being naturally drawn to what’s going wrong; it’s just our automatic response.  It took me quite a few years to actually understand the whole concept of gratitude.

If you’re going through something particularly rough right now and are thinking to yourself “how can I possibly be positive or grateful with all of these things going on in my life?”, you are not alone and I hear you.  I’ve been there.  However now, as I look back on the years past and look at where I am now and how far I’ve come, I can confidently say that although I was definitely not at the time, I am so grateful for my hardships as they have gotten me where I am today, taught me many things I may have not learned if I hadn’t had those experiences, and made me realize my passion, my purpose, and what I am meant to do in life which is help others with similar struggles (as you may have read briefly in my last article about bullying).  With that being said, if you’re struggling, don’t give up, don’t lose hope.  You have the power inside of you to get through this and one day, you will look back at these times and realize that they have not only made you SO much stronger than you ever thought possible but also helped you get to where you need to be.  You this as your motivation and inspiration to keep going; you are destined to do amazing things!

Today, I want to challenge you to take five minutes today to just pause, reflect, and write down all of the positive things in your life; whether it’s a thing, a person, anything!  It can be the smallest of things; it doesn’t matter! Whatever feels good to you!  If you truly look at all aspects of your life and take even the smallest things, you may be surprised with how many amazing things you have going on right now despite any hardships you may be facing!  Use that as your fuel, your power to say “I have the power to get through…” Now don’t get me wrong, that’s absolutely not to say that any struggles, other emotions you may be feeling, or anything you may be going through right now are any less and I’m definitely not saying that this will just make all of your worries and struggles disappear; but it just may make your struggles feel just a tad lighter, even if it’s only for those five minutes.  And if you’re having trouble or can’t come up with anything, that is OKAY!  Go easy on yourself. This is not easy by any means!  If the thought of it is just too overwhelming, that’s okay too; do whatever feels good to you, take some time for yourself, do something you enjoy; whatever it is that makes you good.

And remember; if you are need of support, don’t be afraid to reach out.  Text “connect” to 741741 to be connected with a live, trained crisis counselor! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
~Compassionately Inspired

Bullying Prevention Month- If You're Struggling, You Are Not Alone

In light of National Bullying Prevention Month and being an overcomer of bullying myself, I wanted to take the time to talk about this important matter and to let those who are struggling know that they are not alone.

Bullying is an increasing issue in today’s society.  Just look at all of the videos, posts, and news stories we are hearing and seeing today about people being severely injured or lives taken by bullying.  It’s becoming more and more of a problem that many don’t want to face or admit but in order for change to happen, we must first acknowledge that this is happening.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, physical appearance, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, religion or sexual orientation are among the most common reasons people are bullied (pacer.org).  Why should people be bullied just because they are different?  After all, none of us are the same.

The effects bullying can have on a person is quite honestly enough to make you cringe. Severe anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal thoughts/ideation…  This shouldn’t be happening.  No one deserves to feel so worthless and that’s exactly how bullying can make someone feel.  I know, I’ve been there.

If you are struggling right now, I’d like to share my story with you in hopes that it inspires you to keep the faith and stay strong and yes, I know how incredibly hard that is first hand.

My journey with bullying started in middle school.  I already had anxiety to begin with.  However, being bullied just absolutely put that into overdrive and added depression to the mix; not a fun combination.  And despite my efforts of trying to handle the situation the right way of going to teachers etc.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I was blown off, not believed, not taken seriously, or told I was overreacting or too emotional.  The only person that actually believed me was my mom and even she couldn’t fight the school.  Even though I was the one being bullied, I constantly felt treated as though I was a burden or crazy.  I was told often that it was all in my head, and that I didn’t have the right mindset etc. but how are you supposed to have a positive mindset with people bringing you down all day, every day?  If you’ve been told any of these things or feel any of the above, I hear you and I’m here to tell you that you’re not crazy and it’s not all in your head. Long story short, I know what it’s like to feel like the loneliest person in the world balling your eyes out in a bathroom stall.  But that moment I was about to give up, the moment I lost all hope and thought it would never end, that it just wasn’t worth it is when my entire life changed. I found one doctor who told me I was in way too big of a school for someone with hearing loss and told me and my mom that we could keep fighting but it’s a fight we’ll never win and that I need a new school.  With that, I switched schools and went to a cyber school where I was accepted, I belonged, I was able to be myself and I was able to thrive and reach my full potential again. When that happened, I made the decision to create this campaign and now blog on social media to let others know that they are not alone because I know the power of someone genuinely saying “I understand” and “you’re not alone”.  I went on to graduate high school with high honors and am now a college student studying psychology to help others with similar struggles.  With all of that being said, know yourself, know what you’re capable of, and know that you have the potential and ability to do absolutely anything you dream of in this world. I promise you this will not last forever and one day you will look back on these days and see how strong and absolutely resilient you truly are. Please don’t give up; there is a light at the end of the tunnel waiting just for you.  Also, please know you are never alone; resources are out there!  If you are ever are feeling alone or just need someone to talk to, text "connect" to 741741 to be connected with a live, trained Crisis Counselor at Crisis Text Line! You don't have to struggle in silence! 

For parents, although I am not a parent myself, I have seen the fight my mom put up for me and I cannot stress this enough; you know your kid.  You know what your kid is capable of. You know them better than any teacher, counselor, or doctor.  When something doesn’t feel right, it usually isn’t.  Trust your gut and go with your heart and it will never steer you wrong. 

~Compassionately Inspired