Tell Yourself This When Life Gets Hard

The single phrase that changes everything about suffering

There’s a specific kind of hardship that feels unbearable not because of what’s happening but because of what you’re telling yourself about what’s happening.

You lose your job. That’s hard. But what makes it crushing is the story: “I’m a failure. I’ll never recover from this. Everyone will know I couldn’t make it. My life is falling apart.”

You go through a health crisis. That’s difficult. But what makes it devastating is the narrative: “Why me? This isn’t fair. My body has betrayed me. I can’t handle this. Everything I built is meaningless now.”

You watch someone you love struggle with something you can’t fix. That’s painful. But what makes it unbearable is the interpretation: “I should be able to help. If I were better, I could solve this. My inability to fix this proves I’m inadequate.”

The circumstances are hard. The stories you tell yourself about those circumstances make them either survivable or crushing.

Most people don’t recognize they’re telling themselves stories. They think the…