Mindfulness Challenge Week 6: The Obstacle Course

How Mindfulness Helps Us Overcome Life’s Obstacles

So far we have discussed multiple ways to use mindfulness to overcome uncomfortable moments in life- anxiety, judgement of ourselves, and judgement of others. This week we will talk about how it can help in any of the many life obstacles we might face and acknowledge that working on ourselves in the best of times is extremely important so that when the hard times come around, we are prepared to deal with them.

1. Mindfulness gives you perspective. It allows you to take a step back from your current situation and view things objectively, without making a rash, emotional judgment. When you are faced with an obstacle, adopting a new perspective can help you find the positive in a negative situation.
2. Mindfulness helps you process anger. Often, we feel there are unfair circumstances that are outside of our control, which can lead to anger on our part. This anger can leak into other areas of our lives, such as our relationships. With mindfulness, you learn to explain your anger instead of expressing it and respond to the situation instead of reacting to it. We learn how to take a breather when angry instead of taking it out on others.
3. Mindfulness leads you to acceptance. When we are faced with certain obstacles, part of overcoming them might be accepting they can’t be changed. Mindfulness helps us come to terms with this fact and reminds us that while our circumstances may not change, our attitude toward them can.
4. Mindfulness gives you clarity. Once we take away the emotional response to a situation, we can have a clear view of what happened and make rational and careful choices of how to proceed.
5. Mindfulness helps you take care of yourself. When we practice mindfulness, we are able to listen to our body and understand its needs. Therefore, when you are met with a challenge, you can tune into yourself and know what it needs from you.

Weekly Challenge:

The Obstacle Course: Overcoming Life’s Obstacles Challenge

Why It’s Important: We all face obstacles in our lives and it is often how we deal with them that determines how successful we are in overcoming them. 

Your Challenge: This week is another internal challenge. As you find yourself facing obstacles, think about how being mindful can help you overcome. Take these steps to help you stay mindful when faced with difficult situations:

1. Stop any emotions from coming out.
2. Take some breaths.
3. Look at the situation and think of what options you have.
4. Now allow yourself to feel the emotions, but without overwhelming you.
5. Choose your reaction to the obstacle with a clearer mind and less emotional response.