Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers

When your life is falling apart you may feel as though you’re plummeting through the air without a parachute. We all experience change and loss at various times in our lives, but when it happens all at once –job loss, relationship ending, health issues, and more, the world suddenly seems to spin out of control. Knowing how to cope during this transition is crucial for maintaining mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.

I’ve summarized my four favorite quips and tips from Daphne Rose Kingma’s book, The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart: An Emotional and Spiritual Handbook. For an in-depth look at all 10 coping strategies, embedded with inspiring stories and reflective questions, read Kingma’s book.

4 Quips and Tips for Coping When Your Life is Falling Apart

1. Cry your heart out. “What differentiates us from stones and butterflies is the degree to which what happens to us affects us on an emotional level,” writes Kingma. When your life is in a shambles, every bone in your emotional body hurts. Honoring your sadness and grief through tears relieves the pain and creates a space for lighter emotions to shine through. Take as much time as you need to feel and express your emotions around the loss and heartbreak you are experiencing.

2. Let go. “Just as tears are a doorway to the future, so, too, is letting go,” says Kingma. When we hold on to the past, we hold on to the pain as well. What are you holding on to that no longer serves you? What thoughts, behaviors or relationships keep you trapped in suffering? Practice letting go by surrendering your fears, doubts and pain to the God of your heart. Ask for support to let go of the bigger blocks in your life.

3. Remember who you’ve always been. “You are a single, talented, rare, unrepeatable human being . . . The you who has always been you has been preparing for this moment,” notes Kingma. When your life falls apart, it triggers an identity crisis loaded with fear, guilt and hopelessness. Your mind and body may not know how to cope, but your higher self does. Touch into your soul and recognize your “Signature Strength,” as Kingma calls it. We each have core strengths that define who we are and how we embrace life. What are your gifts, talents, skills and unique ways of being? Has your tenacity, creativity, humor, resourcefulness, or broad mindedness supported you over the years? Remember, it’s still there.

4. Live in the light of spirit. “The most profound gift of any crisis – its back bone, heart, and brain – is that it calls us to restructure ourselves along spiritual lines,” writes Kingma. When your life falls apart, it’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with the God of your heart for spiritual support. We often forget to do this when life is running smoothly, but when everything crumbles around us, all that’s left is our spiritual essence. What spiritual practice can you incorporate into your daily life? Would meditating in the morning, praying in the evening, and reading inspiring spiritual material in between help you to cope?

Blanket yourself with these four tips as a way to maintain mental, emotional and spiritual balance when your life falls apart. As you do, your wings will grow so big and strong you’ll soar with ease across new lands filled with endless possibilities.

Do you have any questions or comments on how to cope when your life falls apart? Please share below.