How to Rise and Sail in the Storms of Life

Have you ever felt like you were in a storm? You try to ride through the waves, but as you pass one wave, the waves only get bigger and bigger? Life comes with seasons that feel like all odds are against us. You feel like you are trying everything, but nothing is going your way. The focus of this blog post is to address what to do when life brings storms. How do we overcome the stormy waves of life? I will provide 3 steps to help you triumph over the storms that life brings.

1. Surround Yourself with Others

I wrote a blog about the necessity of having people in our lives. We were not made to go through life a lone. No one is an island. Like that blog, I re-iterate that we need community to flourish in life. Frequently in life we are our own biggest enemy. We tend to pick at ourselves and dwell on the things that make us feel insecure. I have a sister, who is always picking at her thighs and stomach. When she sees herself, she sees thickness. When I see her, I see a 5 feet 9-inch beautiful goddess. My sister is gorgeous. She knows she is beautiful, but at times she picks at her image. In the moments when her personnel image is clouded, I step in and remind her of how others see her and who she really is. During the storms of life, we need others to encourage us and speak life into our situation. When you're going through hard times, surround yourself with community. Join a volunteer network, bible study, fitness class etc., Living in isolation opens the door to serious mental health issues. 

2. Create a Stress Relief Outlet &Focus on What You Love 

After surrounding yourself with community, focus on what you love. When you are going through hard times, you must be intentional about making time for the things that make you happy. Whether if it is dancing, music, journal club, exercising or religion you need to focus on what you love. Personally, when I am going through hard times I have multiple outlets to release my stress. First, I turn to my faith, I pray a lot and lean onto to God to give me a peace that surpasses all understanding. Second, I turn to community. My parents, siblings and girlfriends are my go to. Lastly, I turn to my hobbies, things such as exercise, music, and blogging are my outlets. Take time to discover what you love to do, whether it may be cooking, watching Netflix or going on a walk. Once you know what you love, be intentional about making time for those hobbies when the storms of life hit. 

3. In Due Time the Storm will Cease &The Rainbow Will Come Out

No storm ever last forever. Even the worst Tsunami's and Hurricanes are temporarily present and then leave. When you are in the middle of your storm, always remember that it will pass. As I reflect on the storms that I have been through in life, I remember feeling overwhelmed and feeling as to though it was never going to end. As I kept faith, kept community, created time for activities that brought me joy, the storm ended. Before I realized it, I entered a new season in my life and the rainbow was shining. For plants to grow, they need water and sunlight. Like humans, in order for us to grow in character, stamina and virtue we need storms and sunlight. If you are currently in a life storm, ask yourself, what is this storm trying to teach me? How is it making me grow? Some of the hardest things we go through in life, tends to leave us with lessons and wisdom. Always remember, this storm will pass and you will rise up wiser and stronger. 

                                         Celebrity Focus:

This blog celebrity focus is on Dwayne Johnson. In the video attached above Dwayne discusses his struggle with depression and how he got through it. In college, he played football for the University of Miami. He led his team to a national championship in 1991. In 1995 he got cut from the Calgary Stampeders. After getting cut, dwayne struggled with depression for over a month. He states he felt isolated and a lone. He felt like he needed community and needed others. The first point of this blog post focused on the necessity of community. Dwayne also states that in the mist of his hard times, he learned the biggest lessons and made tough decisions that led to his biggest blessings. Never give up, when you are going through the storms of life. According to Forbes, in 2017 Dwayne Johnson made a net worth of $124 million. He has learned to rise and sail in the mist of life storms. 

Unfortunately, the storms of life are inevitable. Storms will come and go, but always remember to surround yourself with community, create time for the things you love, reflect on the lesson and in due time the storm will pass.

Always keeping it real,

Titiana Ngongang