We all, at some point in our lives, have fallen down physically or mentally, ranging from childhood to adulthood. We’ve collected a treasure chest full of scars from a few of those falls, some being hard and some soft. We most likely can remember some of those falls pretty well. But can you count the number of times you were willing to get back up when you did fall? The number is probably too great to count, but you got back up. Maybe not always without hesitation because of fear that pain brought with it from falling, but you got back up.
The experience and privilege to watch my children doing things as babies to progress as growing children fell beyond fascinating. When they fell down or felt as though they weren’t able to accomplish something, I would be right there to pick them up. I would come to their aide to pick them right back up as quickly as possible with enthusiasm and encouragement. We’ve all been babies learning to move forward in life as growing children and adults getting up when we fall.
When You Fall
After practicing and gaining stability to somewhat do things on our own with less falling, one day something happens. Something that the one who is lovingly helping us up does, they stand back. They don’t come rushing towards you after you fall (although they may want to), but they don’t. “Why are they not coming to help me,” is what we start to think, right? Through our growing process, they’ve comforted us after falling, while building us up with encouragement as they lift us up. With their help, you were able to shake off the pain and quickly get back up with strength and confidence. Each time you fell, those words were helping to build something small into something great within your mind.
Getting Back Up Is a Superpower
That small thing turned great is what I like to call a superpower. Standing back allowed you to turn on this power. The power to pull yourself up, not just on this day but for days to come that reach far into our lives. How is getting back up a superpower? Getting back up is usually defined as a rising up from a lower position back to a previous high position. It is the thing that is going to urge you in times of your life to stand back up when life gets tough. But when a person has fallen, does it always mean falling down physically? And does standing up refer only to a physical standing up of the body? Yes and no.
Throughout our lives, we may be faced with some sort of circumstance that requires that superpower. If a debilitating illness leaves someone unable to care for themselves, from my experience, is devastating to one’s mind. Others may come against an unforeseen occurrence that causes a hard life-altering change. Such as job loss, loss of a loved one, neglect, abuse, and some unknown causes of depression. So we can fall physically and/or mentally and it is absolutely normal. One vital thing to know is that falling is not failing. When those times happen, thoughts and feelings of failure can cause you to lose your inner and physical strength. Those thoughts and feelings can have a hold on you so strong, that you feel stuck and unable to recognize who you are anymore.
When I went through my bout with depression, I felt so defeated within myself. My thoughts were, “I am going to feel like this for the rest of my life.” Every morning when I opened my eyes, I would examine my inner feelings to see if anything had changed. Unfortunately, nothing was changing and I kept falling deeper into a place of stagnation. The problem for me was that I was looking for the uncomfortable feeling every morning even if it wasn’t there. Once aware of what I was doing, I began to grow tired of being controlled by those feelings and l started looking forward to the day when I would feel better. I began taking steps to reach that day, and the first step was remembering my superpower of getting back up.
A Standing Up of the Mind
This is the time to remember that day when the one who helped you when you were younger stood back. There may or may not be someone there to help us up but we are always alone with our thoughts. Those thoughts can take you to a place of healing and strength after you fall, raising you up mentally or keeping you down. We can fall so many times in our life, but what matters most is how many times you are willing to get back up. Are you okay? I know that you fell, but would you be willing to try it again? It’s that empathy and compassion along with the encouragement that aids in healing our wounded emotions and confidence after. This is what gives a person the power to get back up.
For more on growth and mindset check out The Power of Yet: Making Space for a Growth Mindset. Connect with me on Instagram for uplifting poetry here.
