When things are going well, it is hard to suffer a large setback.
It can feel like a failure.
It can feel like a lack of forward movement.
It can feel like a large step back to the beginning of spiritual growth.
But the fact is… setbacks are a part of life… and I must learn to be kind to myself and accept each setback with grace as I work through my frustration.
I cannot mentally flog myself time-and-time again when suffering a setback.
I must reflect, create a fearless moral inventory, and look to see what may have caused this emotional, physical, and spiritual regression.
Have I been taking care of my emotional and physical health?
Have I been truthful and kind in all of my relationships?
Have my emotions been triggered due to a special event, holiday, or interaction with someone from my past?
Instead of being so hard on myself during a slip, I need to be patient and accept… that I am not perfect… and look at all of the good progress I have made on my journey.
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“Dear God, help me to be kind to myself and accept that I will make mistakes. Help me to forgive myself and learn from my setbacks.”
(photo courtesy of Lois Cohn)
Daily Divorce Meditations 
I needed this, now. Thank you. You have a lovely blog that I look forward to reading every day.
Thank you so much for reading… I’m glad my words were there for you! 🙂
Learning patience has been very hard; and I wonder at times why working on recovery from a divorce over the past several months is taking so much time. Setbacks used to feel like they could happen at any moment. I am also trying to be very sensitive to how I may act around friends and family. Sometimes the most innocuous things trigger my emotions but at least they are becoming a bit less frequent. I really like the questions you mentioned, that you’ve asked yourself. They will really help in getting a better handle on what I’m feeling. Thank you!
Everything I write…. helped me to get through… I had to be really honest in what was setting me off and my part in things… I know that when I feel vulnerable I really become triggered VERY easily. Still do! But I’m able to wait before reacting so quickly… that took time… and practice 🙂
I’m starting to temper my quick internal reactions and worries whenever something doesn’t feel it’s going right – but it’s a daily challenge and probably always will be. 😚
Yes…. it will always be something to work on… but you will find that you get triggered less and less 🙂
What was it in the book Shadowlands that CS Lewis said? “we read to know were not alone” we write to give back and show others they are not alone and come to find in doing so that we are not alone :)) much love to you !!!
Oh Adrienne, I LOVE Shadowlands… so brilliant… and that line? So true. You are not alone… and all of the comments shared with me… remind me I’m not alone… thank you for being part of this dialogue. D.
❤️🙏❤️