5 Things To Remember When You're Going Through A Rough Patch

We often see our times of difficulty as blessings in hindsight—and I do feel like I’ve had my fair share. But instead, I’m writing a book about how I got from a very low place in my life, to a very good place, so I can remind myself of how I did it. It’s literally a 250-page post-it note that I can refer back to if and when hard times rock my boat again. Which they undoubtedly will.

Many people may believe that the way our lives unfold is pre-determined by a higher power—that our trials and tribulations are tests or lessons that have been laid out before us and are beyond our control. While others may believe that everything experienced in life is entirely a product of our own creation—the good, the bad and the ugly—whether we are conscious of it or not.

I prefer a hybrid point of view. Perhaps it’s the control freak in me that doesn’t like to feel that I have no say, combined with the part of me that believes in magic and miracles. I like to believe that I am the creator of my own reality, but that I am also part of something bigger, greater and wiser than the "me" I hang out with every day. And I like to believe that although hardships and sorrow are sometimes beyond my control, every experience is valuable and leading me somewhere beautiful.

Here are five benefits I’ve gleaned from the downs in the continuous ups and downs of life:

It’s like research: some experiments work out and some don’t, but you're still gathering data the whole time. When something I really don’t like happens, I know I want the opposite and vice versa. With hard times comes amazing clarity.

It’s crazy how often someone tells me about something they’re going through and I'm able to relate. Divorce, depression, anxiety—yep, been there. One upside to squeezing in a lot of hardship into only four decades on this planet is that I have a well of experience to draw on for empathy and perspective. I'm sure you do as well, maybe without even really knowing it.

When I am healthy, I praise my body to the high heavens. I couldn’t walk for more than a year once, and now every step I take is a blessing. Today I have love, family, friends, and work that fulfills me—but I have felt the pain of going without each of those things.

The experience of pain can deepen your sense of gratitude: as Khalil Gibran wrote in The Prophet, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”

I have been in situations where I thought I could not possibly survive—and yet I did. And I not only survived, I thrived. Human beings are more resilient than we give ourselves credit for, and that gives us the confidence needed to face whatever new challenges lie ahead.

I've developed tools to utilize whenever times get tough again, which they always will—it's all just part of the natural ebb and flow of life. When I find myself in tough circumstances, pushed to the brink and grasping for any shred of joy, I will reach for relief in small moments of beauty and grace: A lovely sunset. A delicious meal. A great song. A hot bath. A funny video.

All we need are baby steps to help reconnect to our true self, which is pure, unconditional love and joy despite whatever it is we may currently be experiencing. That is our life’s work. If we never had hard times, we wouldn’t have an opportunity to practice it.