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Honoring The Good & The Bad Times
Are you going through a rough time right now? Does it feel like things just keep getting harder? Have you been experiencing a lot of ups and downs in your life? Do you keep making the same mistakes over and over again?
If any of this is true for you, you might want to ask yourself this question:
Do you honor both the good times and the bad times?
At some point, everyone goes through challenging times where things seem difficult and bleak. While these moments are undesirable, they provide us with an opportunity to learn valuable lessons. It is important to be grateful for these moments and to remember – although it may not be apparent to you while you are experiencing difficulties – that bad times can be as helpful and valuable as good times.
At Above & Beyond Acupuncture, we work with patients who are experiencing many of life’s challenges. One thing we suggest is the principle outlined above: to honor both the good times and the bad ones. By implementing this perspective, there will be opportunity to find value and meaning regardless of the circumstances which are presently unfolding, or the eventual outcomes.
Why should I honor the bad times?
Life is full of peaks and valleys: one moment you’re up and the next you might be down. There will always be good times and bad times along each of our journeys; this is something you can depend on. The best way to handle the challenging times is to keep things in perspective, and to try to remain objective. Of course, this could be difficult to achieve in the moment. That is why it might be helpful to temporarily remove yourself from the situation, experience or person so that you can clear your head and take stock of what is taking place.
Even though you might perceive something happening to you as “bad”, there could be potential for change and growth in the situation which should be considered (and perhaps may not initially be recognized). We are not suggesting that you disregard your feelings; how you feel is extremely important. By honoring these moments, you are embracing them with the understanding that they can be as much help to you as the good times are. Sometimes in the long run, the difficult lessons may even turn out to be the most valuable ones, both because of the work involved in learning them and because you may not have expected that anything good could come out of the “bad” situation.
As humans, we have a desire to want our lives filled with good times; however, we must be cognizant that our realities are a conglomerate of all types of experiences and feelings. If we only have good times, we wouldn’t recognize them as such; it is the bad times that help us define the good ones. This is an important fact that should be remembered when going through challenging moments, as it can provide a helpful perspective.
If you, or someone you know, have been having a tough time in life the best thing that can be done is to first remember that things will change. Nothing lasts forever. The feelings being experienced in that moment won’t last, so hang in there and soon enough a shift will take place. It is also important to note, as we have stated above, that you must honor those challenges so you can learn from them (and hopefully not repeat them).
The Buddhist saying “This too shall pass” is usually used as a consolation for someone going through a hard time. However, the full meaning of the phrase is that all things shall pass, both the good and the bad, which is why it is important to live flowing with the present moment.
We hope this blog provided some helpful information about why it’s important to honor the good times and the bad ones as well. If you’re in the Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe or Mesa neighborhood(s) and are going through a challenging moment in your life please consider coming in for a treatment.
