Why faith is good for your well-being

I believe that all events in my life, however stressful that I perceived them at the time they occurred, have led me to where I am today.

I remember talking with a friend one time who was determining his options in order to make a decision about something. As he listed the options, he pointed out what he perceived to be wrong with each one.

Ultimately, he threw his hands in the air saying, “See, there is no positive outcome for any of them!”

We’ve probably all been there at some point in our lives. It all comes down to perspective, though, and realizing that we may not be able to “see” or predict the exact outcomes down the road.

Furthermore, all of our options may not have even presented themselves to us yet.

Really, our happiness factor depends on what lens we look though.

I know it can be difficult to see the bigger picture when we’re in the middle of going through something and it’s hard to understand the “why’s” sometimes.

At the same time, as humans, our egos often get caught up in thinking patterns that are SMALL, in addition to not trusting in the process or that the Universe knows best for us.

Having faith is so important when it comes to decreasing our stress and anxiety levels.  Stress occurs when we feel we cannot handle, or do not have the resources to handle something in our lives.  We usually feel this stress when we are thinking or worried about something in the future. Ultimately, when we worry it is like putting our faith in our fears (which come true a VERY small percentage of the time!).

“Fear is faith it won’t work out.”

~Unknown

We can decide to make a conscious effort to shift our thinking towards unwavering faith and love.  In the bigger picture, the Universe has our backs and everything will unfold for the highest good.

Can you think of a time in your life when something “bad” happened only to realize later that something better was on the way?  I sure have, and I can think of many times that has happened with friends or clients. Sometimes we can find the gifts and opportunities in each situation – even if it is down the road.

Napoleon Hill stated that sometimes opportunities come disguised as misfortune or temporary defeat. While we can feel devastated when something does not go the way we had hoped, somehow things always work themselves out.

For me, there is less pressure when I make decisions knowing that no matter what, all will be well. I have learned that it feels much less stressful when I make a decision and relax into it, knowing that the universe will work out the details.

We cannot control everything; we will drive ourselves totally batty if we try. Instead, we can listen to inner wisdom, do our part, and surrender to the process of life. Marianne Williamson sums it up beautifully:

 “Without faith, we’re frantically trying to control what it is not our business to control, and what it is not in our power to fix. What we’re trying to control is much better off without us, and what we’re trying to fix can’t be fixed by us anyway. Without faith, we’re wasting our time.”

~ Marianne Williamson

When you feel yourself caught up in worry, you can ask myself, “What’s another way to look at this?” Reframe your thoughts into loving, kind and compassionate ones.

Letting go and surrendering to the process of life, being unattached to results and outcome, sure does sound more peaceful than trying to control everything, doesn’t it?

So, let’s try this together. This week, if you find yourself feeling anxious, nervous, worried or doubtful, take a step back and think about what the trigger was for these feelings to arise.  Fear of the unknown? Fear that things will not be okay?

Remind yourself that all is well, as what we focus on expands. Reframe your thoughts to lean more towards self-compassion. Take one step at a time towards your dreams and believe with utter faith that there are no mistakes in life.

What are ways that faith has helped YOU in your life?