By Stacey Morgan

When my husband, a NASA astronaut, launched into space for a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station, my life became a whole lot more complicated. With a house, four kids, and pets to manage, not to mention a job and my own mental health to take care of, nothing felt easy. My life on Earth during the 272 days that my spouse literally orbited the planet above me was certainly unique in many ways. Yet at the same time, it was similar to other challenging seasons I’ve experienced in the past, such as military deployments, or even natural periods of family transition when connections felt fragile, emotions were high, or daily pressures threatened to overwhelm me.

Thriving in Challenging Seasons

Whether your feet are planted firmly on the ground or floating up in space, tough times are a universal part of everyone’s life. When days are long and hard, our tendency can be to clam up and curl up, focusing all our energy on trying to solve our problems on our own and simply attempting to survive to the next day. The great news is that challenging seasons don’t have to be that way! Life may be hard, but we are meant to do more than just survive. I’ve learned that a little change of perspective and a few simple actions are the difference between not just surviving, but thriving, even in the most challenging of seasons.

1. Find your people

Isolating yourself only makes tough times tougher. As humans, we are created to live in community with others, in both good times and bad. It’s probably not a good idea to share all your struggles with every new person you meet, but open up to a few of your closest friends. They love you and want to support you. Don’t push them away—challenging seasons are when we need friends the most!

2. Ask for help

There is no extra-shiny trophy for people who struggle through hard times by themselves. When you need help, ask for it! Needing help does not make you weak, incompetent, or high maintenance. Your friends and neighbors will know you simply need a little assistance, and they’ll be happy to offer it. In fact, it is as meaningful to them to be asked for help as it is for you to receive it. So, speak up!

3. Let go of what doesn’t matter

Tough times allow us to see our lives and choices with new clarity. Don’t squander that opportunity. In the middle of the mess, ask yourself, “What is most important to me right now?” Create a short list of things that directly support your highest priority and then let everything else go. If that means the house gets a little dusty or you pull back on some of your former commitments, so be it.

4. Give yourself some grace

Life is hard enough without adding an internal guilt trip on top of it. We are all human, and even when life is great, we’re bound to make mistakes. In tough times, when you’re stressed or tired or sick, you are far more likely to have a bad attitude, snap at others, or make a poor choice. When that happens, ask for forgiveness from the people you hurt, and then extend that same level of forgiveness to yourself. Your mistakes do not define you.

5. Have faith

God never promised us an easy life. In fact, he promises us quite the opposite. He knows how hard life is, but he asks us to have faith. Faith that he will comfort us in our pain and our loneliness. Faith that he will bring people to us who will hug us and dry our tears and walk alongside us. Faith that he will give us the strength we need to keep on going. Ask God to give you the faith that every dawn is one step closer to better days ahead.

---

Get all of our freebies here: https://awifelikeme.com/subscribe-to-… 

Join the A Wife Like Me Collective FREE for a week, here.

Grab our book, Dear Wife, here: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Wife-Invi… 

Listen to the A Wife Like Me Podcast, here.