What gives you strength?

I'm in a situation where I find myself in need of strength, stoicism and fortitude.

What do you tell yourself, or do, in order to remain steadfast in times of great necessity?

I'd love to hear the Temple's thoughts on this

One of my trick is stretching or you could use yoga and meditation . With in my mind reload your energies . Or a little session of exercise just 45 min of cardiovascular workout . For the eating part eat some fruit like a smoothies . Or a little mix of the things . :huh:

The worst out come is that one can die, and in that case it would be a waste of time caring. Ultimately, so long as one is alive one can make a difference, and change their situation.

I also try to accept, and experience my emotions and feelings as they come. I try to reflect on them, observe them, allow myself to be them. If I am anxious, I let myself be anxious, but I meditate, I observe, I explore the origins of the anxiety. I do not fight it; to control one's emotions is to turn them into an object, and to control is to fight. There is no emotion, there is peace; emotions are not an object and they are not a separate entity from the self. Peace is accepting the experience that is our-self. Once one does that, it is easier to accept what one cannot change; one can grasp the complexity of decisions.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Often, we can focus on what we believe we do not know; however, incompetence by nature is being unable to recognise what one does not know. One should focus on what one has, and is able to work from, and remain open to learning; focus on what can be done, not what one has no grasp of. Better to err and with the benefit of hindsight know it was a mistake, than to have done nothing and seen the chance to act pass.

However, good luck in this time. I hope it goes well.

Music. I don't play an instrument but I've always had a big connection to music. I have music to get me pumped, to keep me happy, to keep me going, to take my mind off the fact that I'm cleaning :laugh: , basically for everything. I don't think I could have made it through work today if I hadn't gotten to pick the music.

That's the best I have for external sources. Everything else for me is internal and I don't think that I can help with that. I'm not sure I understand what gives me strength internally.

depends on the type of strength i'm trying to achieve...and the situation...

most of the time i simply tap into my anger/rage using care not to let it overpower my sense of reason...it's a very tricky thing to do, if i lose focus i slip into the bestial nature that lurks just under the surface....unfortunately i have very few positive past experiences to draw strength from and an over abundance of negative ones...i sometimes get stuck choosing quantity over quality....my method is not one i prefer, nor one i condemn or condone. we all have different experiences, different sources and types of strength, different cards in our hands to play....

being a double fire sign (aries born year of the dragon) sometimes i simply meditate on fire or visualize myself being engulfed in flames...to negate the effect i replace fire with its opposite...water....fire is a symbol for rage while water is a symbol of tranquility...

know yourself, know your strengths, master both

tzb,

When I find myself emotionally threadbare, I look to my fundamentals. I take a moment to assess my day-to-day life and see where some of my balance needs shifting. How much sleep am I getting? What sort of food am I eating? Am I balancing work, family, and leisure? Am I exercising enough or too much? Often as not something in there could be tweaked one way or the other. It won't likely solve your problem directly, but will serve as a foundation of strength from which to approach your challenges. If little else, you may gain knowledge of a few indicators to be mindful of down the road. I know that when I feel myself failing, flailing, or falling...breaking things down to basics often helps me check my azimuth. Processing the whole of things clearly isn't working - time to take one solid step at a time.

I hope you find your rudder, brother.

I think of all of those who have come before me and what hardships they had to bare. I think of our soldiers around the world and what they are going through. I think of all those children in the cancer centers and how they keep on fighting.

I remember the words..."This To Shall Pass"

I remember the names Shughart and Gordon, and their dedication to a fellow soldier.

It is amazing what the human body and mind can accomplish if we get out of its way.

I like to know that what I go through can mean something that adds to my ability to be useful in the world, and to give value to those around me who may ever need me.

this is probably going to be a long post, but, while i do not know which of these things are more or less appropriate to yourparticular situation, everything that i am relating here is a result of my own personal need for coping mechanisms and tools which are functional across a broad spectrum of difficult situations

the very first thing that i have to do, the thing really that all the rest is dependent upon, is that i have to affirm my own value to myself, within myself

this is basically a choice of just deciding that i have inherent value as a living being who wants to contribute something positive to the world

in fact even without the desire to contribute, nothing more is needed than the fact that i exist to make me worthy pf existing and thriving for my own sake, just like everything else has every right to exists and to thrive for its own sake

the desire to contribute is not even necessary really, as even a tape worm bas got the right to fight for its own betterment

my worth is not conditional - nearly any condition can be lost - if i say "i have value because i am a good person" then all it takes is for me to be convinced that i am NOT so good and now my value is gone

and when we're down itis easy to see the worst of everything

so i say this is a CHOICE and a DECISION and that it is not conditional or dependent on any standard to be met

there are situations that can rip any earned or conditional sense of value right out of a person - all it takes is the right presure - and in those situations all we have is that choice, so i say that its best to go ahead and make it right away

every single thing is a call to either grow and develop as a person and a Jedi, or a time when we need to exercise the fortitude that has already been developed

sometimes knowing that the crappiness of the current situation will eventually pass and that i will have been made stronger for it can help
a lot of times actually
the reminder that i am not done growing as a person and that there is a future and that i will participate with that future in a meaningful way, can mean a lot

also i remember that in the grand scheme of human suffering - when i acknowledge the scale of suffering that has been endured by people utterly powerless to avoid that suffering, nothing of what i have been through is truly unedurable

here i am thinking of bronze bulls and plagues and ovens and lynchings and on and on

its sometimes a small consolation, but sometimes a very great sense of strength, to acknowledge that others have definitely been through worse

a lighter side to this basic understanding is to recognise what a crybaby i can be

but this is not in a mean spirited way where i beat myself up and add yet more negativity to myself, but rather in a teasing and genuinely happy "laugh at how silly we all are sometimes" way
because we are all in the same boat really - no matter how great any of our egos want to trick us into thinking we are, i guarantee that every single person who ever reads these words has been a big fat crybaby, a fumbling nincompoop, and an akward dorkus, at some time in life, AND PROBABLY WILL BE AGAIN

really -we're all a bunch of clowns and we take our circuses very seriously, and its FUNNY

for me it relieves the pressure to laugh at my own absurdity - this is useful when i am making things worse than they have to be by stressing out and getting worked up in any number of ways that dont help the situation but exacerbate my own misery - basicay when im being a baby lol

service
i can always find a way to bring something positive to someone in some way
even if it is trivial - it makes a difference every time, and the thought of being of use and of bettering other peoples lives even in small ways is maybe the difference between success and suicide

the acceptance that one is worthless and life is hopeless is only possible if we accept that we will make no worthwhile contribution

once its decided that we can find a way to better other peoples lives, our own lives become valuable

in a lot of situations there is uncertainty that can be reduced if we stop and make an inventory and develop at least a rudimentary plan of action

its important to remember that things never actually happen the way we plan them but HAVING A PLAN FOR REACHING A SPECIFIC OUTCOME, or at least a mental map of whats likely going to happen
helps
A LOT

i think that having at least one activity that i really enjoy for its own sake and that i can immerse.myself in for a short time on a regular basis (not to hide in but only as a release of tension,its super important not to hide from problems, as i have learned the hard way)

community and family - knowing that i am important to others has helped in those times when i did know it (sometimes we dont)

sometimes we have to be strong because if we crack then everyone else will crack too
sometimes we have to be strong for someone else

last, for me, there just a kind of stubborn F.U. attitude that i fall back on where i just kind of demand that i "win" - which basically just means that i survive the situation - live to tell about it

just the resolution to survive
pretty simple but sometimes thats all we have

- Good Luck
May the Force be with You

In my experience you get strength from doing something that makes you feel weak. The situation in which you find yourself where you need strength will give it to you once you face it.