Living and Wellness: “Coping” and “Thriving” are NOT the Same Thing!

When we talk to friends, family, work colleagues and others, it’s not unusual to hear them say ”Oh, I’m managing; getting by!” in response to the question ”How are things going, with you?”

The truth of human existence is that most of us spend most of our lives ”getting by.”

That is, we’re doing well enough that nothing is really in crisis, and we’re maintaining our health and well-being in a reasonable sort of way, but sometimes we pause and reflect on the monotony of our worlds and feel like something is missing.

For those who have really never known any alternative way, they might even insist that things are ”good.”

But are they… really?

”Getting by” and ”managing” may be commendable, but they are definitely not the same as actually ”thriving!”

Of course, there are many who’d insist that thriving is little more than a dream; pie-in-the-sky… and something that’s reserved for a few who happened to ”get lucky.”

When I talk to counseling clients, one of the frequent misunderstandings is that thriving doesn’t actually involve a lot of hard work. It does! Thriving doesn’t mean you’re just sitting on your sofa, eating bon-bons!

Thriving does, however, mean that you are fully engaged in something that’s meaningful to you. It’s very difficult to thrive when you feel trapped in a meaningless job and come home to a marriage/relationship that feels like it is stagnant and going nowhere… even though — ”on paper” — it might look to an outsider like you are doing really well.

Getting to a place where we feel like we are authentically thriving is not easy. For starters, we are almost never taught how to thrive, in our upbringings. We’re typically taught the practical aspects of how to get by in life… but that’s about it. And people serving us up platitudes like ”do what makes you happy!” actually do not help very much, particularly if they are not backed up with actual support to achieve that.

I remember reading an article in a journal of psychology some years ago, in which the author and researcher pointed out that the field of psychology has done an excellent job at helping people "no longer be depressed."

But then he went on to point out that the same "field of psychology" has pretty much nothing to teach people how to be happy.

Because "not depressed" and "happy" are definitely not the same thing.

So it is, with coping vs. thriving. And that's why it is super important that we pause and consider whether we're merely "doing OK" or actually thriving.

Thanks for visiting, and Bright Blessings to all!

---

You are not alone! (Graphic is our own)

The White Light Express Mission Statement:

Since October 2001, the mission of the White Light Express has been to offer healing and transformation through focused positive intention, meditation and prayer. Right Thought is the first step toward Right Action and consciousness. We believe that “holding the vibration” is a profound task and our divine destiny.

We appreciate you following us and upvoting if you feel moved to do so — we also really appreciate comments and feedback! If you enjoyed this post and think others might enjoy reading it, please give it a re-steem! We love you already, because across all the myriad beliefs we hold, Love IS the answer!

In addition to our blog here on Steemit, you can also find us on the White Light Express web site, on our verified Facebook page and on our twitter feed.