I absolutely love the following passage taken from Michael Michalko’s Creative Thinkering:
[su_quote cite=”Creative Thinkering, Michael Michalko, Page 192″ url=”http://amzn.to/1Vs8fl5″]
“What makes some people seem especially alive and others seem lifeless and drab? Look to nature for answers.
One example is the emperor moth, which, with its wide wingspan, is the most grandiose of all the moths. Its wide wings span out majestically when it flies. Before it can become a full-grown moth, it has to be a pupa in a cocoon.
If you find a cocoon of an emperor moth, take it home so that you can watch the moth come out of the cocoon. One day you’ll notice a small opening, and then you’ll see the moth struggle to force its body through that life hole. The struggle will take hours, and the moth will appear at times to be stuck.
If you try to help the moth by enlarging the hole with a knife or scissors, the moth will emerge easily. But it will have a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. In fact, the little moth will spend the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It will never fly.
The restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening is the way it forces fluid from its body and into its wings, so that it can be ready for flight once it frees itself from the cocoon. If the moth is deprived of its struggle, it is also deprived of its health. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in order to become truly alive.” [/su_quote]
There is so much to say about each and every struggle we go through. Sure, if we had to choose,I’m sure we wouldn’t choose to go through the difficult time. But, in most cases, we don’t have a choice.
I thought it was so interesting how if the little pupa didn’t go through the struggle, then he’d never be able to fly! This story relates to chronic illness in several ways.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like giving up!Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like nothing could ever get better!
Raise your hand if you ever prayed/wished/begged/cried that you wish it would all go away!
Raise your hand if you can understand what the emperor moth goes through!
Here are 3 ways to help you whenever you get in a situation where you feel like this.
1. Appreciate the small things
It’s easy to dwell on the things we can’t do or don’t have, but when we shift our attention to the things we DO have or CAN do we can change our perception of reality. I know I used to take many things for granted. It’s human nature! We get in a pattern, we take things for granted and we fall into a rut… Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed or depressed take out a sheet of paper, or your journal, and start writing down the things you’re grateful for. They could be as small or as big as you want!
Here’s a short example:
I’m thankful for…
– my ability to get out of bed this morning
– for my digestive system working properly and allowing me to eat
– the love and support of my family
– my amazing, supportive chronic life family
– no or low pain days
– my comfy bed
– a roof over my head
– my awesome doctors and healthcare team
2. Look for the lessons in the pain
I truly believe everything happens for a reason and that everything we go through is supposed to teach us something. Whenever we’re going through a difficult time, the last thing we usually want to do is find the lesson in the mess… BUT I can guarantee it’s there. It may take days, months or even years to realize, but there’s always a lesson. Whenever I’m faced with a mess, I like to stop and analyze the situation. What am I supposed to take away from this? Is there something I should learn from all of this?
There is always a silver lining. Always. You may not realize it in that moment, but in time you will. By having faith in what is occurring and having faith in what’s to come, you can start to learn the lesson(s).
If the pupa didn’t contort itself to get out of the cocoon, the little moth would never fly!
3. Remember you’re SO freaking STRONG
Have you ever noticed that the strongest people seem to be the ones who have gone through hell and back? There’s a reason that we think that way! Each and every one of us has so much strength packed inside of us, but most don’t unleash it unless they absolutely need to. Guess what! You have that strength inside of you too!!! You do! You do! You really, really do! Whenever you may think the coast will never clear, the clouds part and the sun shines radiantly through. Each and every encounter in your life is helping you develop your inner strength. Don’t be afraid to call upon it and use it!
So remember, even though we’d love to take the easy way out of difficult situations, that may not always be the best thing for us! Next time you’re going through a hard time, remember this little story about the Emperor Moth!
And remember, you’re SO much stronger than you ever thought possible.
Wishing You A Pain Free Day!
Want to read more?
Need a reminder that you’re amazing JUST THE WAY YOU ARE? Check out this post!!
Did you ever stop to realize that positive thinking and healthy connections have a huge impact on your health? Well if you haven’t, I’ve got a post for you! Click here to check it out 🙂
Came across this from Twitter and so glad I did! I’m having a psoriasis flats because I start back work tomorrow but the. Reading your post put the positive spin back in my head! I should ibe grateful that I am able to still work even with my condition!! Your post was my little bit of silver lining so thank you, I’ll be a regular reader!
Linzi x
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Awe I’m so glad I could help a bit! It’s so hard when we’re in the midst of a flare to always remember to see the light shining out in front of us – sometimes we just need a little nudge to remember! 🙂 Sending you healing thoughts and lots of love!! ~ Julie