Be Strong. Have Courage. Don't lose hope.
Throughout my life I have collected a number of different mantras.
Holding on to them, chewing them over, letting them sink in and become a
familiar space I can return to when times are difficult. They have ranged from
the ancient Persian adage “This too shall pass” to the not quite as ancient
Yorkshire adage “It’ll be reyt”. I have a band on my arm that reads “It’s ok
not to be ok. Have hope.” I even have ‘Romans 8:28’ as a tattoo on my arm, a
reminder of hope and promises. These small soundbites have been markers on my
journey, helping me to be grounded in times of chaos. They have been the words
that have helped me to stop, collect myself, and carry on when everything else
cries out to give up.
You will all probably be aware of the second lockdown on the
horizon in England, the unsettling uncertainty that it brings. I have done the
very British thing of having it as one of the three key points of conversation
with people I have spoken to this week (the other two being “Isn’t it getting
dark early” and “This weather, eh.”) Each person I have spoken to has expressed
some form of worry or anxiety about what the next few weeks to months will
hold. We will need to dig deep into our reserves, find a new personal
resilience and strength, and push through these next few months and weeks a day
at a time. Personally, I already have a mantra ready to focus on to help me
through.
It was a few weeks ago that I came across it. I was driving
for work, the shift had been going horrendously. I was stressed, I was running
late, there were personal issues as well, and I just wanted to roll over and
give up. As I was driving a long I spotted a banner hanging outside a Church
and on it were the words “Be Strong. Have Courage. Don’t lose hope.” As I
zipped past the words caught my eye and I immediately started to mull them
over. What does it mean? What does that look like? Are they an instruction or a
request? I have spent the last few days breaking the mantra down and holding it
up to the lens of the next few months.
Be Strong.
Remind yourself how far you have come. Look back down the
mountain and see how far you have come. You were made for this, you can do
this. Find the energy for that next step, dig deep, breath, and then push off.
Keep your head up, shoulders back and marching onwards. Be a support for those
who need it, and learn to lean on others when you need it. Share your strength
with the world and allow the worlds strength to be shared with you.
Have Courage.
Be defiant to the voice that says ‘Today is too hard, go
back to sleep.’ Face the day with a new fire in your belly that will stand up
for yourself and for others. Take that first step out of bed, blast your anthem
of defiance on the speakers. Turn to the voice that tries to drag you down and
say “Thank you, but I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Roar like a lion if you
have to, but find that energy in you that looks to the challenge and says “I
was made for this.”
Don’t lose hope.
Hold onto the spark inside, keep that smouldering wick
going. We each have a spark of light and life in each of us, and we need to
nurture it. Allow yourself to treat yourself. Plan something each day that will
make you smile, even if it’s running a bath, or eating a nice snack. Reach out
to friends and family, remind yourself that you are connected and loved.
Remember “This too shall pass.” Hold onto that little voice inside that says “Soon,
we will be out of this soon.”
So, my friends.
Be Strong.
Have Courage.
Don’t lose hope.
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