Falling Short (Part 3)

Discouragement takes root when we fail to celebrate the mini successes in our lives and we let the secular world define for us what is successful.  For example, while stay-home moms love spending time with their children, they may feel at times burdened with the demands of this role and the feeling of losing a sense of self that sometimes accompanies limited adult contact.  But there’s no need to fall in this trap.  In our previous post, we listed steps 1 and 2 to  keep discouragement at bay. Below are two other steps you can take to triumph over discouragement.

Step 3: Celebrate mini-successes – Take time each day to be grateful for the beautiful parts of your life.  Even the not-so-pleasant aspects can be reframed as sacrifices you choose to make to be of service to others.  Acknowledge your role and your choices.  People who feel like victims don’t take ownership of the decisions they actually are making directly or by default in their lives.
Step 4: Get into action – Discouragement is a mixed bag. Sometimes we’re discouraged about things that aren’t real.  Sometimes we’re discouraged because things really are not working as we would like.  We want them to be different.  Getting into action produces results that extinguish discouragement.  If we are bothered by our weight, reach out for support to help us take better care of ourselves and our bodies.  It’s sitting in our lives when things aren’t working without thoughtful action that becomes a pool for negative emotions.

So, diagnose the source of your discouragement and give yourself a self-corrective gift.

The Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  Don’t indulge discouragement, but rather take action.  See it as the Satan’s stealthy weapon to  get you off track.