Nearly all of us have experienced stressful events in life and the majority of us will have experienced multiple stressful events in our lifetime. These events may be related to our childhood or experiences in adulthood. They could include injury, illness, a diagnosis of a long-term condition, cancer, or relationship breakdown, natural disaster, trauma or loss of a loved one. Hard things happen in life, things that bring a sense of uncertainty and loss, things we can’t control, experiences that can be life changing. It is in  working through these experiences rather than the experience itself that can lead to personal growth.

 

When we have been through adversity, a stressful life event or experience and we come out the other side reflecting and processing the experience it gives us an inner strength to recognise what we have overcome. When we can shine a light in the dark and be willing to feel the impact it has had on our life and release the load we can gain new perspective.

 

Reflecting on the experience may involve looking at:

• What supported you?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• What strengths did you discover in yourself?
• What are your beliefs and values?

 

As you reflect and process your experience, honour your story and recognise how it has shaped you. Telling your story and how it has impacted you can be powerful in processing and growing from the experience. There are many ways you could tell your story from journaling, speaking with a professional, talking with friends or family.

 

Reflecting on the challenge and the journey it took us on can bring wisdom and although there are things that happen in life that we can’t control we can see that there are things that we can influence.

Growing from our experiences and challenges requires us to be committed to that healing journey and taking action, creating change and being an active participant the creation of our life story. We can rewrite our story. Going on this journey of learning and self-discovery often involves discovering things we did not know about ourselves, our strengths and our resources.

 

As we start to heal and grow we may notice and increased sense of self-awareness and self-perception, we get to imagining a future filled with new possibilities and no longer feel defined by the experience as something that “happened to me” and instead become the hero or heroine of our own journey.

 

Growing from life’s stressful experiences doesn’t mean we won’t experience any more adversity or challenges in life but it supports us in holding the ups and downs of our life with an increased sense of hope, freedom and choice.

 

How coaching can help:

• By working in partnership with the client, providing a safe, non-judgmental space
• By being a supporting resource empowering clients to root into their sources of strength
• Supporting the client to loosen their grip on their stressful life experiences
• Recognise the impact of the experience on the client physically mentally and emotionally and support them to come to a state of regulation
• Empower the client to recognise how remarkable they are and recognise the possibilities and potential life has to offer
• Enable clients to see it is within their power to recover and heal
• Support clients to envision a new way of living
• Guide clients in unblocking what has been stopping them move forward
• Support clients to build awareness of patterns and behaviours that no longer serve them
• Support clients in building their resilience
• Support clients in processing their experience
• Guide client in making sense of their story
• Empower clients to recognise they have everything they need within them to recover and heal

 

Coaching can be a powerful resource and support to empower clients to process their experience, help them recognise their strengths, courage and resilience that enabled them survive, so they can move forward, grow and thrive.stressful