They say it’s easy to keep your cool when things are going well – but how do you handle life when every move comes up against an obstacle?

I’d argue that this, again, is about perspective. Do you see an obstacle as something to fight against, or a redirection when you are going against the flow of your life? Is it simply a challenge to see if you are truly able to cope when things don’t feel easy? There are so many ways to look at obstacles that aren’t necessarily negative.

Meditation helps you deal with adversity, both by calming your mind and spirit and by helping you tune into your next aligned steps. You might not find the answers to your questions automatically, but you’ll get there eventually with time and practice. Keep going and try to stay calm in the face of the storm. Getting caught up in its chaos never does any good. Other practices that may help when meditation doesn’t seem to be working are embodiment practices. Any type of movement that helps you ground and get more in touch with the intelligence of your body is beneficial.

What I personally find most challenging is deciphering whether a challenge is arising as a nudge to move in a different direction, or simply something that is placed in my way for me to overcome to move towards I want. When I’m unsure, I sit with myself and go inwards. Is there something that I’m holding in that’s blocking my flow of energy? Am I denying some shadow part of myself? Often, if I can admit to myself what’s really going on and clear it, everything else begins to clear itself as well.

I’ll give you a personal example of how this works. I was trying to sell my camper van, which I had regretted buying almost immediately, and I was having trouble finding a buyer. I went to the beach – my personal spot for clarity and moving through emotion – and sat with my feelings. I finally admitted to myself that I felt a great deal of shame for making what I considered to be the mistake of buying the van in the first place. I sat with that feeling, meditated on it, cried and let it move through me. Literally the next day, someone messaged me with intent to buy before even seeing the van. I met with him that afternoon and by the evening I had cash in my hand and he had a van. That was that – he never messaged me with a single question or complaint. Suddenly my albatross of the past month had flown away easily.

That’s what can happen when you clear your emotional blockages. All we are is energy, so we have to make sure that our energy channels are free of obstacles. When we do this, we clear the other obstacles from our lives. So when the shit hits the fan, stay calm. Breathe. Go inwards and feel into what’s going on. Chances are, if you stay calm, you just might figure out how to make the storm disintegrate.

You’re doing great, and I’m proud of you. Keep up the good work. Sending love.