Strength - Courage - Fortitude

Many of us have days when we feel weak within ourselves emotionally, mentally and spiritually. We can find some guidance and reassurance in the Strength card, that will hopefully enable us to overcome what it is we struggle with life. Strength urges us to respond with our heads and not our hearts, exercising restraint. Courage and fortitude is what will bring about a healing successful outcome. When this 'weakness' continues over long periods of time, we need to reach out for help.

There are many circumstances that can make us feel so over whelmed and vulnerable.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the most common difficulties that can render people seemingly helpless.We can reach the jumping off point. We are afraid to live, afraid to die, and even contemplate suicide as being the only solution.

PTSD is such a common and very misunderstood mental health issue for so many of us, and it can be very difficult to ask for help or find the right kind of counselor.  Many of our loved ones and friends do not understand or know how to help us. Compassion and education is the key, and we need to stop the silence and stigma associated with having mental illness.

I understand this all to well, as I have had many loved ones that suffered with mental illness and I have myself struggled with addiction, depression, anxiety over the years, until I found 12 Step recovery.

I understand that this topic is a heavy one, that many of us rather not talk about, and want to avoid. Silence isolates, and isolation kills.
But there is life affirming hope, and it is vital that we be proactive regarding mental health especially through education, and talking openly with courage and fortitude.

Strength

Using my head and not my heart can sometimes be difficult, because it can feel like I am going against the grain, as I approach life often with my heart. But I have learned to ignore some of those feelings when I know I am not doing the right thing, because sometimes my heart can get me into trouble if I don't think.

I now understand why 'they' say youth is wasted on the young. I wished I had listened to my head when I was young, and maybe I'd  have made decisions not based on fear. But we can't undo what has been done and need stay the forward course with hope and optimism.

Courage and fortitude is what the Strength card symbolizes. We all have situations were we try to have courage but are very afraid, just as we can have the guts to do some thing, but we feel weak. Courage can be spurred on by fear. Fortitude can be motivated by weakness. Fear and feeling weak can cause negative reactions, if we don't use our head. I need to handle unhealthy anger and self-serving pride. I must be willing to do the right thing in spite of fear, and try to replace my fear by acquiring faith. This helps be to walk through my fear, with love being the opposite of fear.

Self-reliance is not the way for me to possess strength, courage and fortitude.The human spirit is amazing. It inspires and changes our lives when grounded in faith.
Freedom from fear is a lifetime process.