Do You Find Yourself Looking for a Way Out When Things Get Tough?

When things get difficult or painful, the usual way we deal with them is to practice avoidance. We want a solution that “gets us out of it” or we potentially ignore the situation altogether if possible. Oddly, when we often recall the situations in our lives we have learned the most from and are potentially most grateful for, it was these tough situations we have faced in the past.

I don’t think anyone would advocate for going out of our way to find difficult and painful situations to get ourselves into. Many of us probably feel as if we have too many already! Yet, we can consider a different approach to life’s adversity when it does find its way to us. Instead of looking for a way out, maybe we want to look for a deeper way in.

If we can get over the initial fear or other painful emotions that might come up, we can make the choice to take a deeper look at why these situations seem so painful or difficult. We can take the time to look for the lessons and opportunity. Maybe we keep coming up against specific types of situations, like relationships issues with others. Could it be because we are not communicating properly? Or we are projecting our insecurity onto others? How much might we learn if we were to consider the potential lesson within?

No matter what lies underneath, taking the time to see adverse events as a mirror to what is going on inside of us can be a very useful exercise. When we see ourselves as a part of all of the processes in our lives, we stop the relentless judging and criticism of others. We stop trying to find the quickest exit when we face adversity. Sometimes by simply sticking around a little longer we find the hidden gem in a painful encounter.

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