Turmoil Everywhere

Monday July 11, 2022

It’s everywhere...not just in our homes, workplaces, and communities, but around the world. Turmoil is profoundly personal and also global.  Turmoil can be political, social, religious, mental, emotional, and economic. How do you respond to turmoil, at any level?  Staying awake at night? Numbing it out? Eating or starving your turmoil? 

Conflict is part of being alive, of our humanity.  Any review of history or culture demonstrates this.  But you don’t need to stay in that place of turmoil, even when it's swirling all around you.  You have choices and options on how to approach and deal with your own areas of turmoil. Really. You can alter or adjust your internal and external dials.

As a Certified Professional Life Coach, I recognize that it’s easier to stay stuck in the storm than to “fight my way out”. Think about the difficult times you’ve endured or going through right now.  In your mind, you might know that “this too shall pass” but you’re not ready or able to see that far yet. Being aware is a small step forward right now.

      Here are four strategies to consider when you are sensing or feeling turmoil, to any degree:

1.  Talk it out..even if it’s to yourself.  Talk out what is at the core of your turmoil...feelings or facts? Sort out what you are feeling from what you are doing.  Find a friend or confidente to listen to or validate you.

2.  Seek Spiritual guidance. Converse with those of like-minded faith, as a means of encouragement. Read Scriptures, pray, and meditate over them.  Journal your fears and your turmoil.  God accepts you as you are.

3.  Avoid people who are negative, complainers, or miserable about everything and anything.  Instead find a community group that’s interested in making changes where you live, serving others and the less fortunate.

4.  Stop the internal dialog by filling your mind with easy positives, such as intentional breathing, enjoyable outdoor activity, learning a new game or assembling a puzzle, or making an appointment with a friend.

             Turmoil is constant but it is temporary.  Psalm 33:4 “The Word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything He does.”  If you need more support, reach out to me at www.forwardstepsinlife@gmail.com