“Your life becomes a masterpiece when you learn how to master peace.”
You know how you’re just going about your life as per usual, and then suddenly *BAM* you’re hit with a major, unexpected setback and you have no idea what to do next, or how to move forward?
These are the times when life can feel like a spiral and overwhelm and anxiety can set in.
And I get it. I experienced this recently when I was hit with a $12,000 medical bill that insurance was denying coverage for. When I first opened the letter, I wanted to cry.
“How will I pay for this?”
“Why isn’t insurance covering it?”
“Where do I go from here?”
For a brief period of time, I felt anxious and disempowered. I knew I needed to take action – to change my perspective and uplift myself or I’d wallow in self-pity and drown in worry.
So I changed my question from “Why?” to “What?”.
As in, “What is the universe trying to teach me with this experience?”
I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down. I surrendered to the Universe, knowing fully everything would be okay.
Once I was more relaxed, I called my insurance company and asked them to reprocess the claim. Then I reached out to my contact for the insurance plan and sent her the bill. Apparently, it was coded incorrectly and her team needed to fix it and resubmit.
Now things are being handled, and I don’t have to stress over that bill.
So why am I telling you this?
Well, I’ve experienced my fair share of setbacks in life. And I’m sure you have too. But this experience was a stark reminder about what we should do when we experience setbacks and what we shouldn’t do. And I wanted to share those “dos” and “don’ts” with you now in case you need a reminder too…
When you’re facing a setback:
- DON’T ask “Why me?‘ This question is not only disempowering (hello victim mindset!), it also goes against the nature of the physical experience – change! Change is the most Natural part of life, and things happen. It’s not our job to know why they’re happening. It’s our job to learn from them and continue moving forward with our lives.
- DO ask, “WHAT is the Universe trying to teach me?” and “Why not me?” These two questions will keep you from seeing yourself as a victim, and keep you empowered as you navigate this situation. We grow through what we go through – find the lesson life is trying to teach you!
- DON’T avoid! If I pretended like I didn’t t see that medical bill, or did nothing about it, it wouldn’t go away. It’d still be there – energetically lingering over me and taking up space somewhere in my mind. When we avoid things we don’t want to deal with, we end up expending energy worrying about how they’ll be resolved, or live in a state of fear or anxiety meanwhile NOTHING gets resolved! Don’t do this to yourself. Face your setbacks head on.
- DO be proactive! Take action. Find a paddle and navigate this wave. Otherwise, you’ll drown in it. But if you paddle through it, you’ll come out stronger and more prepared.
- DON’T worry! Worrying does you absolutely NO good. In fact, it puts your body in a state of stress which is unsustainable and unhealthy because too much stress leads to tons of health issues like depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, decreased immune performance and more.
- DO surrender to the Universe! You can’t control everything that happens in your life BUT you can control your reactions. Once you realize this and surrender your doubts and worries to the Universe, you’ll be amazed how much calmer and more relaxed you feel about life…and how things just seem to work out.
Life is full of lessons disguised as setbacks, and the sooner we realize this truth and live in alignment with it the sooner we find personal peace in our lives.
You’ve got this – I promise!
Xx,
Antasha
About Antasha Durbin: Antasha is a spiritual writer, life-long student of the universe, and psychic tarot card reader. Her website, cajspirituality.com, is dedicated to casualizing the spiritual experience and making it attainable for anyone, anywhere, anytime. Follow her for free, easy-to-digest and highly actionable advice on spirituality, mindfulness and empowered living.
Isn't it time you started living the life you've always imagined?
Great advice here as always Antasha 🙂