Sometimes Life Just "Sucks".

What is a leech? What comes to mind when I ask you that? I looked up the definition and decided that it was too disgusting to put in this post, so I looked up synonyms. :D Here is what I found: parasite, bloodsucker, passenger, scrounger, freeloader, mooch. Now what do you think of when I ask you what is a leech? Stick with me because this is definitely worth the read. I did another search but this time for antonyms. Here is what I found: giver, donor, provider. Hmmm. This paints a much different picture in your mind, doesn't it?

So, where am I going with this? Let's dive in and see. 

Think about your typical day. Does this bring about good feelings or do you sigh and droop your shoulders just thinking about it? For me, I confess that I sigh. I am a little embarrassed to tell you that because I have been very blessed.

Photo by julien for unsplash

For those of you who have feelings of joy and happiness when you think about your daily life, please keep reading because your input will be so important to those of us who don't share the same joy.

Everyday we go through a typical rhythm that either sucks the life out of us, or puts life into us. I love the words passenger, scrounger, and bloodsucker because that is a great visual of the things we allow in our lives that hook on to us and suck our life's blood, in other words our joy. 

Let's take some time to look into how we can change that. Look at the synonyms giver, provider, and my personal favorite donor. What can we do to stop letting life "leech" from us each and every day and allow it to "donate" to us things like peace, love, and joy? Sounds like a hefty job but we are in this together, right? Right!

First of all, the words peace, joy, and love come straight from the Bible. God gives many ways to find these coveted feelings.

Photo by sixteen-miles-out for unsplash

*Isaiah 26:3 says, "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe". 

*Romans 12:17 says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" 

*Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" 

*Psalms 16:11 says, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy"   

These are just a few verses, but according to this snippet of the Bible trusting God has only good for you, bringing peace and joy.

Let's keep looking at more ways.

Your environment- is your environment one that feeds you or does it leech from you. Maybe you have little kids and you feel your house is cluttered with toys and other kids stuff. Photo by gryffin-alejandro for unsplash

Maybe it is time to research some new ways of organizing to make your home feel more welcoming. Do you allow people in your life or your home that treat you unkindly? Maybe it is time to remove some people from your life and if it is family, maybe counseling is the answer. Whatever your story is, take a look at your environment and ask yourself what can you remove to make it better. 

Practice gratitude- this one can be so simple but is not always easy. When life gets sucked out of us, we can have a tendency to complain and even feel sorry for ourselves. So, what if we started each day listing 5 things we are thankful for. I know this is something I definitely need to incorporate into my day. And if life really "sucks" right now, I bet you can still come up with 5 things.

Do something you enjoy- What is something you really enjoy that doesn't cost you anything? Maybe it is taking walks, being artistic like taking photos, or spending time with your fur baby. Whatever it is, try to incorporate that thing into your day or your week in some way. 

Give back- they say that one of the best ways to get your mind of your own troubles is to give to others who are struggling. We often can get stuck in our own head about our own problems and those mole hills keep getting bigger and bigger until they are mountains. Help someone else out who is really in need and I promise it will put your life back into proper perspective. 

Set boundaries- Are there areas you are letting people take from you that might need some boundaries? There is an awesome book that I am currently reading for the 4th time called, Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. This book talks all about making and not making healthy boundaries in your life. It is definitely a must read. 

Celebrate Yourself- It is not selfish to pat yourself on the back once in awhile. Along with your gratitude list in the morning, you could have a celebration list at the end of your day to allow yourself a little party for the wins you had that day.Photo by clay-banks for unsplash 

I hope this helps you. Writing it has definitely helped me. Let's together make a list of the "leech's" in our lives and remove some of them by implementing one or two new things in our life that "donates" to us. Hang in there, friend. Life is not easy.

By the way, if you are in a situation where someone in your life is taking from you in the form of abuse, please seek help. Once you do, you can then heal from it and move towards true love, joy, and peace. 

God bless you, ladies. You are beautiful!