Too many of us think that we are weak in the face of tragedy or chaos. We don't think we are as strong or brave as the next person and often we feel like we didn't handle a situation as well as we should have. You feel like you are falling apart at the seams and not sure how much more of anything you can handle.
Surprisingly, most of us are stronger than we give ourselves credit for. At any given moment, if you have cracked under some pressure, you call yourself weak. You're not. You're stronger than you think. We are not machines. We have feelings, emotions, and we scream or cry. It's completely natural to show and express emotions during difficult or otherwise times. If you have any of these signs, you need to give yourself more credit. You are a strong trooper!
1. Smiles please.
If you can still smile after whatever shitty thing just happened to you, you are a strong person. Though we think smiling is easy, for some it's not. When you can pull through a hard time with a smile, no matter how big or small, then you certainly are a strong person.
2. Calm down everyone please.
When you see that everyone around you is falling apart and you aren't, you are strong. Depending on what the issue is, we all need that one person that can assess the situation and manage to calm everyone down. If you've done that and can do that effectively, you're strong indeed. It takes a special person to be able to handle and control a room.
3. Go ahead and cry.
Yes, cry. Strong people cry too. I don't know why everyone seems to think that crying is only for the weak. It's not. It's a natural emotion that needs to be released. If you are angry or sad or mad, crying can certainly help you deal with some pent up emotions. Once we have cried it all out, we can look at the situation a little more clearly and handle it differently. So yes, cry. Lots if you want to. It's good for the strong soul.
4. Just say no.
If someone is pushing your last buttons, stand your ground and say no. Don't give in no matter what it is. If you are feeling, down in your gut, that saying yes isn't going to benefit anyone, then keep saying no. Listen to your gut always. If you can stay firm and make no your final answer and feel good about it, then you are a strong person for sure.
5. Understand what's going on around you.
This isn't something that everybody can do. You need to be able to see all sides of a situation and understand where everyone is coming from with their take on the matter. You can't just look at one side and decide this person is right and everyone else is wrong. If you can look at things objectively and unbiasedly then you have certainly proven yourself to be a strong person.
6. Give hugs.
Unconditionally and regardless of what's going on. Let love be the first emotion that shines through and there isn't anything else that says love better than a good genuine hug. Sometimes things can affect everyone, even you, in a negative manner. It's not always easy to turn negative into positive and it takes an extremely strong person to do that. If you can stop in the middle of chaos and give out hugs, then you got strong figured out for sure.
7. Just do it.
Flick that fear thing away. You know that thing that keeps you from trying and doing new things. That silly voice that stops you because it is scared. If you can talk to that voice and tell it that no matter what you are going ahead with your plans and that fear needs to take a back seat right now, then you my friend are a strong warrior. If you can bravely face challenges, you are strong.
8. Be that go to person.
If people are looking up to you and asking you about how to do things or how to handle things differently then you have clearly proven that you are, in fact, a strong person. People don't just seek advice from anybody. They want a reliable source. Someone they feel knows what they are talking about or has experienced something similar and came out ahead. If you are that person, then yup, you're strong.
Being strong doesn't mean just holding a shield and a sword and battling the enemy with fierce bravery. Strong comes in many shapes and sizes and if anything mentioned here describes you at all, then welcome to the strong club.