As we continue in the element of wood for the month of April, it’s important to stay in alignment with the foundational energies wood brings forth; optimism, hope, and confidence, however, sometimes we can experience an imbalance in the energies.

Are there times when you find being optimistic difficult? Have you been trying to make something happen in your life, but it seems to be taking too long? Do things on the outside look good, but inside you find yourself experiencing feelings of fear, anger, or resentment?

I have been experiencing some of these feelings recently, and have been questioning how can we be optimistic when life seems really challenging? Finding the answer is essential to our wellbeing.

I took my daughter to look at colleges last week and being on campus had me reminiscent about the exuberant feelings I had when I was at school.  As I watched the students on campus so filled with hope and optimism, it helped raise my spirit and get me to that place myself. It’s that wonderful feeling of optimism that you have when you know you have your whole life ahead of you and are excited about what lies ahead.

It’s important to look forward and feel optimistic about what is next. Sometimes things can feel heavy and while it’s not always easy to get yourself beyond those feelings, it’s important that we do. I am a big believer in the power of asking for help and support. Recognizing that whatever challenging situation you are dealing with in your life right now, you probably haven’t been through it before. You don’t have the experience dealing with whatever it is, raising a teenager, financial difficulties, relationship problems, career changes, etc. But someone else has been there and they can help. We don’t know what we don’t know, so if you are going through a challenging time, no matter what end of the scale you’re on, consider finding support and watch how the feeling of optimism begins to grow again.

That is what I plan to do. Being on campus helped me recognize and remember that feeling of optimism that always exists. Now that I am back home, I’m feeling re-energized. I am confident that with the right direction and changes I can turn things around and so can you.

Signs of spring are emerging, lets allow optimism to bloom all around us.

Enjoy the Month of April and all the celebrations it brings!

In Wellbeing,

Betsy