A couple of months ago I encountered an event that taught me that whatever happens will happen, no matter how cautious we are. That is life. In my case, it was worse because I didn’t know how to overcome the event. I felt depressed for two weeks. I blamed myself for my misfortune. But the toughest time has passed, thanks to mindfulness and what Zen taught me, which helped me overcome challenges.
It happened at lunchtime on Thursday in April. I was eating lunch that I bought from a shop. I bit into something hard and sensed something serious happening to my tooth, feeling a vibration at the top of my head. I went to the dentist the next day, and she said the tooth had split into two, and the only option was to remove the tooth and get an implant.
I have been taking good care of my teeth to keep them healthy. But with just one bite, my healthy, beautiful tooth is gone! I blamed the shop, I blamed myself. "Why was there such a pebble in the rice? Why did I take it? Why was I so unlucky?"
From that day onwards, I thought and thought about what I should do. Can I glue the cracked tooth? Should I do that? How much does it cost? Is it affordable?
I was so anxious. There were some options, but I didn't know which one was the best. At the same time, I was still blaming the shop and myself.
Practicing mindfulness helps me know what I think and feel - the first step to overcoming challenges
But I did know it is not good to keep blaming something or someone forever. I was, in a sense, observant thanks to practicing mindfulness.
So, here's what I did:
1) I journaled my feelings, my anger, and anxiety.
2) I said to myself my mantra, 'This is a good thing. I don't know why it's good now, but it will turn into a diamond.'
3) I asked my friends about how they overcame their hardships.
All of these helped. So I really recommend those things. Especially when I asked my friends for advice, one of my friends said, "This too shall pass," no matter how depressed I felt.
Another friend told me to focus on the good things after fixing the issue, not to dwell on the bad event.
But my emotions were too strong. My anxiety and anger didn’t go away until my body told me the right answer.
My gum was swollen, and I came to know that I should remove the split tooth as soon as possible. My body was telling me it wasn't a good idea to keep my split tooth any longer. So I decided to get an implant.
Does practicing mindfulness really help to overcome challenges?
This is what I learned.
1) In the end, I had to hold on and stay with the anxiety and anger until I knew what to do. No matter how hard I practiced mindfulness, the strong emotions didn't go away.
As I have been practicing mindfulness, I noticed I felt anxious and angry. I was conscious of how I felt, but I still could not stop feeling anxious and angry.
But if I didn't practice mindfulness, I felt endlessly furious and depressed.
A Zen monk said that no matter how hard they train themselves, life throws a curveball. But when they are trained, they accept what is happening around them.
2) My body will tell me what the right answer is, especially when it comes to my physical well-being.
When I don't know the answer immediately, I can trust what my body tells me. Our body may be smarter than our brain.
In my case, my gum told me by swelling that I cannot keep the tooth anymore.
Now I ask you: How do you overcome your hardships?
Please leave your comment below if you have any good ways to overcome adversity.
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