How to embrace life's challenges

As we move through life, we inevitably encounter situations that are difficult to face. When given the choice, we often avoid them. If I’m afraid of heights, I’ll steer clear of tall buildings. If my relationship with my family is strained, I might conveniently “forget” to call them for months.

But life doesn’t always give us the option to avoid discomfort. When we can’t escape it, how we face it makes all the difference. I want to explore a simple but powerful inner journey — a shift in how we relate to difficulty — that can help us move from resistance to a more life-embracing approach.

Four ways we might respond to challenges

Let’s use a common life example to illustrate this, but I invite you to consider your own situations as you read.

Imagine you're a young parent on a Saturday morning. It has always been your chance to unwind, sleep in, or just have a few precious hours to yourself. But now, there’s a small child tugging at your sleeve, full of energy and needing your time and attention. The peaceful morning you envisioned is gone. How do you respond?

1. Resent

You give your child what they need, but inside, you feel irritated. This wasn’t the morning you planned. You go through the motions, but your mind is elsewhere, focused on what you’ve lost. You might feel annoyed at your child — even though you know it’s not fair — and resentful of the situation.

2. Resist

You do what’s required, but it’s like holding your breath. You're waiting for this to be over so you can get back to your morning. There's tension in your body, a low-grade frustration humming beneath the surface, as though you’re pushing against the reality in front of you.

3. Accept

You take a deep breath and acknowledge the situation: This is my morning now. You let go of what you wanted and focus on being present. You might not love it, but you’ve stopped fighting it. You know your time will come later, and for now, you can offer your child your attention with more ease.

4. Embrace

This is deeper than acceptance. Here, you not only acknowledge the reality — you fully give yourself to it. You see the bigger picture: This is my life now. You feel the bittersweetness of it, the loss of old freedoms, but also the richness of what’s in front of you. You engage wholeheartedly, not because you have to, but because you want to.

 Moving beyond this simple example

You might be thinking, “Sure, that works for something small, like a lost Saturday morning. But what about the really hard stuff? What about grief, trauma, or deep personal wounds? Are you saying I should just embrace that?”

No — not in that simple way. It’s not about embracing the trauma itself but embracing the parts of us that have been wounded.

When we experience trauma or deep hurt, our instinct is often to resist it — to bury it, avoid it, or resent the pain it causes. We push it away, hoping it will stay hidden. But what if, instead, we turned towards those parts of ourselves?

What if we could:

• Recognize the hurt that exists within us without judgment.

• Accept that it’s part of our story, even if it’s not one we would have chosen.

• Begin to embrace that wounded part — not because we approve of what happened, but because it is part of us, and it needs care and connection.

In doing so, something profound can happen. We start to heal, not by erasing the pain, but by integrating it. We become more whole. This shift can change how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us.

The journey from resent and resist to accept and embrace isn’t linear, nor is it always simple. But it’s a path worth exploring — one that invites us into deeper connection, healing, and ultimately, a fuller experience of life.