How to Bounce Back When You’ve Been Knocked Down
Many of you have read my story and you know, I have been knocked down. Way down. In fact, I think it’s safe to say, I was knocked down several times in a row.
Several of you have been in that place and I’m sure, several of you are in that place right now. Isn’t it amazing how fast life can change? I always had a pretty idealistic point of view, I was moving forward in what I felt to be God’s will for my life and up until age 32, I had not really had many setbacks. Then, it hit.
The first boom was my divorce, the second, personal disparagement and humiliation and the third, the crash of my business. It was like three fast and quick punches straight to the head, faster than a Rhonda Rousey fight, I was out.
There are certain things that happen in life that hit harder than the rest and they take time to heal. If you’re hit hard, do not hit yourself harder for not recovering quick, healing takes time.
Today, I want to share with you 3 strategies to help you heal, recover and walk in joy again.
- Feel the Pain: You have to feel the emotions. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not one of these people that will tell you to operate from an emotional state. That’s not what I am saying but I am saying, you have to process the pain and allow yourself to feel. You have to cry, you have to scream a little then, you have to cry again. Just remember, if you smash down that pain, it will come back up again later.
- Find Support: It is usually during deep pain, you figure out who your friends are and who they are not. Do the friend evaluation and figure out who is by your side and who you can trust. Then, ask for help. Ask for prayer and a shoulder to cry on. If needed or possible, seek out a professional Christian therapist or qualified pastor.
- Learn from the Experience and Move Forward: Once you have grieved the situation, pray about what you can learn from that situation. What is God teaching you? What can you teach others? Take what you have learned, move forward and allow those lessons to help your future self. Keep in mind, those very lessons might help others too. Pray and find out what God would have you do with what you have been through and what you have learned.
The most important thing for you to know right now is, you are not alone. There are people who have walked the road you are walking. The second thing for you to know, it is ok to cry and cry a lot. Pain is real and it hurts, denying its existence will not make it disappear. I spent a lot of time crying in the shower, yelling at the walls and praying it would all just disappear. It didn’t go away but those shower therapy moments got me through some hard times.
You will survive. You will get through this and, you’ll have one heck of a story to tell.
“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” Genesis 50:20
Sarah Ann is an author, speaker and media personality committed to honesty, vulnerability and authenticity. She has a passion for empowering people who are willing to be honest and walk out life in Christ together. Sarah holds a Bachelors in Biblical Studies and a Masters in Theology and Apologetics, she also owns a clothing company, Ascent516.com and is the creator of SarahAnnSpeaks.com and the Sarah Ann Speaks Podcast. Sarah is featured daily on GEB TV.
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