How to stay strong, and persevere 🫶🏽

This week, the Long View is thinking about perseverance, a trait I admire very much in others, and also try to cultivate in myself.

I got here, frankly, because I considered not getting out of bed on Wednesday morning.

But I also know of myself, that I was going to get out of bed, and I was going to meet all the wonderful people I'd arranged to meet, and I was going to try my level best to be a decent and pleasant person whilst doing those things.

Perseverance (n.) Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition: steadfastness

We all face situations where we have a choice: persevere, or give up. This is part of the daily grist of life and it shows up all around us, all the time.

Perseverance is not just stubbornness, nor is it the absence of pain, or fear.

Also this week, I've watched people around me - including my closest family and friends - really struggling. And I'm totally supportive of people who don't want to get out of bed today. Giving ourselves time to "feel the feelings" is an act of self compassion, and is sometimes the best, and only, thing to do when those feelings are deep and overwhelming.

Perseverance is finding ways to carry on, and bring our best selves, despite a full understanding of the difficulties, the challenges, and sometimes, the improbability of success.

So, how do we find the strength to persevere?

As usual, I don't have all the answers, but here's what's working for me this week:

🪷Reducing stress and making space (where possible) for feeling the feelings. I do this so I have a clear path for carrying on with the essential things. Experience has told me that I'll get stuck right here, if I don't prioritise this ahead of everything else.

🏔️Taking stock of where I am, and trying to get a little perspective on what challenges, failures and setbacks mean for me. You all know I'm a big fan of keeping clear what we have control over, and what we don't have control over.

But sometimes that line blurs when we're distressed or overwhelmed. So this stock take is about refocusing on what's in my control, keeping a watchful eye on everything that isn't.

👩🏻 Showing kindness - to others, but this also has to include yourself. Taking on the weight of the world's problems, or endlessly doom scrolling, is not kind to yourself, and it is also generally not productive. Give yourself a break. Self love and compassion is the root of your ability to show strength and compassion to others.

🫶🏽 Most of all, for me, building community - I have been spending time with like-minded people who inspire and support me. And I owe the rest of everything to those people, and to you.

This Week photos: Lawmanity at Byres Community Hub at University of Glasgow School of Health & Wellbeing, First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls at Impact Arts , Public Interest Litigation Support 15th Anniversary Event, Belfast

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Thanks for reading again this week - sending warmest thoughts and hope you're finding your space, and people who inspire and support you, too. If you feel like writing in, I'd love to hear what you're thinking about, and what you're doing to embrace perseverance, or how you're helping others to persevere.