When life gets difficult, gain a new perspective on the right type of "medicine" to get you through.
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Welcome to the Be Your Best Self Blog by Marsha Abbott.
Don't Forget...
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
When the hard parts of life hit, will that be the remedy to cure all of our problems? Is that the secret formula we all have been waiting for?
Probably not…
But there is another type of medicine that might cure every hard time we will have to encounter. It’s one we all tend to forget about, and it won’t always be an easy prescription to follow. But recently, I learned from some friends that it really is the best one. And I can’t wait to share their secret formula with you today, so that you don’t ever forget to use it when difficult realities pop up in your life.
These friends of mine have been married and together longer than they remember being apart. Their successful marriage is one that we can all envy. They are always kind to each other, and with the smiles on their faces, it’s easy to see how happy they make one another. And so, as they entered into their late 50’s, it was time for them to start on their next adventure together…retirement! But this phase of their life didn’t start off the way most typically do. Instead, she was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and they knew this would forever alter the course of their life moving forward. The picture they had of what their retirement years would look like were shattered in an instant. And their new reality was going to be so much different than they could ever have imagined.
So they chose to do something most wouldn’t do in their situation. They certainly didn’t forget! They pulled out their secret prescription and used it as often as needed.
It has now been 7 years since her diagnosis at age 58. And as I talk to them today, I can see their antidote in action. Instead of focusing on the negative of their situation. Instead of putting all of their energy into all of the bad that is happening, they have chosen to live the life they have continuously enjoyed together. They are always kind to each other, the smiles on their faces are still there, and they truly seem so incredibly happy. So when I asked them about this special medicine that has seemed to “cure” this difficult time, he simply said the following…
“We have chosen to just laugh our way through life. And we laugh…a lot!”
And that is when it hit me that this is the one thing we all tend to forget about when hard times come our way. Nobody feels like laughing in these situations. We often even feel that laughter is not appropriate in these moments. But after learning about this story and knowing we will all climb these difficult mountains in life at some point, laughter really can be the one thing to make it better. Laughter really can be the best medicine!
So, what is happening in your life right now? Do you feel sad most days because of a tough situation you are dealing with? Do you have a loved one that you are always worried about? Are you constantly focusing on the worst part of your current reality? Is your mind filled with doom and gloom every single day because of it?
If so, then let’s try this couple’s special remedy and see if it can bring happiness back into your life. Because we all deserve to be happy…even in the most difficult times.
So in these tough moments, don’t forget to take the following doses: Don’t forget to laugh. Don’t forget to laugh louder. Don’t forget to laugh harder. And then most importantly...repeat, as often as needed.
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!