Navigating the Valley

Important life lesson: you are in the driver’s seat.

So often, I forget this. With each passing day, my routines seem more difficult to stick to; my energy feels unrestored. Quickly, I become so stressed by my stress, that I find little relief in my self-care routines. Anxiety sets in as apathy take over.

Not the prettiest picture, is it?

With some variables, most can relate to this state. I call it the valley. It’s the place in your life where it seems you’ve lost your footing. No matter how hard you try, you can’t get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Breathe easy, my friends. This too shall pass.

First and foremost, the valley is a place of growth. Uncomfortable and inconvenient, the valley presents us with a choice: continue to do the things we’ve been doing, or adopt something new. Continuing the old will bring us further into submission; the latter provides hope. Like cacti in the desert, beautiful things can grow out of difficult situations.

Second, the valley is a normal part of life. One of the unfortunate realities is at some point, we all have difficult times. This isn’t a reflection of how well your life is going or some judgement of your character. In fact, this isn’t personal at all. Life, sometimes, simply sucks. The duality of life seems almost by design: what is a sunny day without a few rainy days? Success without struggle? Life without death? The valley brings meaning.

Finally, the valley doesn’t last forever. Whether we sprint to the finish or crawl past the line, the struggle will end eventually. Thankfully, whether we triumph over the valley or let it beat us to a pulp, we will still learn and grow. Like the first heartbreak, we probably made more mistakes than we did beneficial decisions in the wake of this struggle. Yet, we matured through this necessary process, becoming closer to the person we are today.

Life is a constant cycle of peaks and valleys – life lessons help to make this process more bearable.

I learned the previously mentioned lesson, always being in the driver’s seat, through my valleys. It’s so easy to feel we have no control in these difficult moments – nothing could be further from the truth. While we have no say in the situations we find ourselves in, we control the decisions we make and the direction we take. Embracing this power brings hope. 

To get even more metaphorical, self-discovery comes through perseverance. When we choose to get back up after being knocked down, we learn about ourselves. We understand what works and what doesn’t. All in all, the process is more important than the results: taking responsibility for our actions while relentlessly seeking progress breeds success.

Get to know yourself!