Fight 4 Happiness

Because life is short, follow the Happy Path for more tips and inspiration to live your happiest live.

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Have you noticed how some plants survive for years by retreating underground when the harsh weather comes. This got me thinking about what we could learn from them when times in our lives get difficult.

It is a lesson I need to learn. I am terrible for pushing and pushing myself. This attitude has definitely allowed me to achieve a lot in my life, however recently I wonder if there have been occasions when I would have been better off retreating or resting little.

So what do some plants do to survive the winter and what could we learn from that?

Because life is short, follow the Happy Path for more tips and inspiration to live your happiest live.

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Conserve Energy

Plants store and conserve energy for when they need it.

If you are facing a very difficult time look after yourself as much as possible. Get plenty of rest, don’t overdo things.

Like many of us at times in my life where I have lost people close to me I have stepped back from work and or the house in order to prioritise the healing or time to organise things and it has been essential. What I have not been great at is resting when there has not been a major event. In a normal day to day I will keep pushing and pushing forward. I am learning now to actually perform at my best sometimes I need to rest or recharge. Take a short walk or sit down with a cup of tea.

Graceful Retreat

Plants retreat underground when the winter comes.

Sometimes we need to step back. A tactical retreat can prove overall the better strategy. It is not a sign of defeat or the end of a road.

I have at times driven myself into a ditch trying to keep on top of all the daily chores, working a full time job, caring for the kids and husband, completing a degree, managing a huge integration project in work. I found myself at breaking point and something had to give. It was a hard decision at the time but I choose to step back from my degree to give myself space to tackle the other areas of my life.

I remember that day sat crying in my flat. I had worked until Alamo midnight the day before and I as trying to focus on a huge coding assignment but getting no where. I spent hours beating myself until my wonderful aunt said “you can’t do it all.” At the time I felt awful “giving up the degree” however it was the right decision. And a few years later I went back to do a masters degree.

Bide your time

Plants wait until the optimum conditions to re-emerge.

If you do step back for a period of time make sure you are ready to step back into the fray. Sometimes emerging too early can result in failure. Think of those plants that emerge early and are then further damaged by a frost.

You can also consider what steps you could take to make your environment more hospitable.

One example where I pushed myself back out there and in hindsight I should have waited a while longer was after my burns. I was frustrated with how long the road to recovery was taking and I placed more and more pressure on myself to get back to work. By not giving myself the time I needed I think I may have made my anxiety worse.