This too shall pass

This too shall pass...

On this blog I love to share a simple, evidence-based strategy to help busy people lead healthier, happier lives. This week I'm sharing one of my mantras and most important life lessons.

Life has its ups and downs. Lawyers have a term for it: vicissitudes of life. The good and the bad of life happens to us all to a greater or lesser degree. But one too many sideways knocks, and somehow, before you realise what is happening, you feel like you're haemorrhaging every molecule of joy, peace and equilibrium.

Here's what I know:

"This too shall pass."

If I were to get a tattoo, that would be it - emblazoned across the vein I might be inclined to open in a moment of exquisite agony, or despair. 

I have come to understand that it is absolute, irrefutable truth. 

It really does all pass - the anger, the anguish. The pain will pass. When, how and how fast may or may not be within your control, but in my experience, you can tinker around the edges of it. Coax it into something else. Just step back from it. Observe it if you can. Mindfulness really helps. I've learned to sit back and accept, rather than fighting it, distraction, self-medicating or running away. If you're struggling, I STRONGLY encourage enlisting the help of a qualified professional to guide you through.

Your wellbeing - and your life - is far too precious to leave to chance.

Pain will pass. You can trust me on that. And so too the beautiful moments; happiness, joy, love. Way too fast, and sometimes we miss them altogether. They arise unnoticed while we peer into our smart phones or rush to a meeting or fret over bills. It's a very good thing to observe those too. Collect them like precious stones. Create a mental scrap book. In a different post I would share some salient research study or other to back this up. But not here, not today. Just trust me. And you really can trust me on this.

Collect all the sweet, small, mundane, fleeting moments of joy, or grace, ordinary (and extraordinary) happiness. Reflect on them. In good times they awaken you to life's sweetness. In darker times I hope they remind you that life is beautiful and really, 

truly 

worth living.