🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 158 (from laksa104)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa158.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.jodiegale.com/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.jodiegale.com/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/","crawl_time":1776278667,"first_indexed_time":1678242001,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,jodiegale!www,\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/ s443","src_root_hash":"6223211159872458358","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"How to find meaning and purpose throughout difficult times","meta_descriptions":["Even through unimaginable suffering it is possible to find meaning and purpose throughout difficult times - Viktor Frankl is one such person."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"When the Coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, imposing restrictions and lockdowns on almost the entire world’s population, great suffering followed. People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with.\nHowever, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in\nThe Year the Earth Changed\n– nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives.\nWhilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair.\nNelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote,\n“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.”\nIn Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed,\n“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.”\nFinding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process\nHashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic\nhere\n.\nMany years ago after\nreceiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed\n, I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time.\nIn\nThat Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief\n, David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like:\n1. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties\n2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway\n3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right?\n4. Sadness\/Depression: I don’t know when this will end\n5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not.\n6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience\nMessages of\npositive thinking\nand ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a\nspiritual bypass\n. They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight\/flight\/freeze response to trauma.  Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on!\nAs someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering!\nBeing with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that\n‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’\nTransformation and post traumatic growth\n“Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.”\nFrederic and Mary Ann Brussat\nWhether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making.\nIt is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life.\nJournal prompts to help you work through a crisis\n• How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice.\n• Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering?\n• Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this?\n• Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself?\n• What does the following quote mean to you?\n‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’\n• Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other\nparts\nof yourself kindness and compassion?\n• Choose a seed word from my\nSoul Qualities Journal\nand use it in your journal writing\n• What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this?\n• Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth.\nCheck out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times\nWintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times\nby Katherine May\nThe Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple\nby Ben Aitken\nThe Long Walk to Freedom\nby Nelson Mandela\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nby Viktor Frankl\nLeft for Dead\nby Samantha Barlow\nEducated\nby Tara Westover\nBack After the Break\nby Osher Gunsberg\nThe Happiest Refugee\nby Anh Do\nGirl in the Woods\nby Aspen Matis\nUnbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope\nby Jane Caro\nI Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond\nby Don Yaeger\nA Child Called It\nby Dave Pelzer\nThe Diary of Anne Frank\nby Anne Frank\nConnect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness\n“Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.”\nAre you struggling throughout this difficult time?\nCome and join my free membership group for trauma suffers:\nTrauma Warriors TM\nIf you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here,\nsearch for a trauma therapist\nwho holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work.\nPhoto Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel","attrs_markdown":"Manage Cookie Consent\n\nTo provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and\/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.\n\nFunctional\n\nFunctional\n\nAlways active\n\nThe technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.\n\nPreferences\n\nPreferences\n\nThe technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.\n\nStatistics\n\nStatistics\n\nThe technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.\n\nMarketing\n\nMarketing\n\nThe technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.\n\n- [Manage options](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/cookie-policy-eu\/#cmplz-manage-consent-container)\n- [Manage services](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/cookie-policy-eu\/#cmplz-cookies-overview)\n- [Manage {vendor\\_count} vendors](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/cookie-policy-eu\/#cmplz-tcf-wrapper)\n- [Read more about these purposes](https:\/\/cookiedatabase.org\/tcf\/purposes\/)\n\nAccept\n\nDeny\n\nView preferences\n\nSave preferences\n\n[View preferences](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/cookie-policy-eu\/#cmplz-manage-consent-container)\n\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/cookie-policy-eu\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [{title}](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/)\n\n[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/#content)\n\n- [Community](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/traumawarriors.online)\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/traumawarriors.online)\n- [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jodie.gale\/)\n- [For Therapists](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/)\n- [Podcast](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/soulsessionspodcast\/)\n- [MEDIA](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/media\/)\n- [CONTACT](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/contact-northern-beaches-counselling\/)\n\n- [Community](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/traumawarriors.online)\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/traumawarriors.online)\n- [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jodie.gale\/)\n- [For Therapists](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/)\n- [Podcast](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/soulsessionspodcast\/)\n- [MEDIA](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/media\/)\n- [CONTACT](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/contact-northern-beaches-counselling\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-jodiegale.png)](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/)\n\n## Counselling & Psychotherapy to Help Women Heal from Emotional Eating and Trauma\n- [About Jodie Gale](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/about\/)\n- [How I work](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-i-work\/)\n  - 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[How I Work](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-i-work\/)\n  - [Fees and policies](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/fees-policies\/)\n  - [FAQs](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/faq\/)\n- [Therapy](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/manly-frenchs-forest-and-allambie-counselling\/)\n  - [Therapy for Emotional Eating and Trauma](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/therapy-emotional-eating-trauma-northern-beaches\/)\n  - [Soul Sessions Coaching](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/soul-sessions\/)\n- [Blog](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/blog\/)\n- [Trauma Warriors](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/)\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/)\n- [For Therapists](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/)\n- [Podcast](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/soulsessionspodcast\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/contact-northern-beaches-counselling\/)\n- [About Jodie Gale](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/?page_id=91)\n- [How I work](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-i-work\/)\n  - [How I Work](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-i-work\/)\n  - [Fees and policies](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/fees-policies\/)\n  - [FAQs](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/faq\/)\n- [Therapy](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/manly-frenchs-forest-and-allambie-counselling\/)\n  - [Therapy for Emotional Eating and Trauma](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/therapy-emotional-eating-trauma-northern-beaches\/)\n  - [Soul Sessions Coaching](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/soul-sessions\/)\n- [Blog](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/blog\/)\n- [Trauma Warriors](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/)\n\n[HOME](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/) \/ [Blog](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/blog\/) \/ [articles](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/) \/ [How to...](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/how-to\/) \/ How to Find Meaning and Purpose Throughout Difficult Times\n\n# How to Find Meaning and Purpose Throughout Difficult Times\n- [By Jodie](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/author\/jodie\/)\n- [No Comments](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/#respond)\n- [articles](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/), [Befriend Your Body](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/befriend-your-body\/), [Endangered Bodies](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/endangered-bodies\/), [How to...](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/how-to\/), [Movement](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/movement\/), [Read & Watch](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/read-watch\/), [Soul Self](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/soul-self\/), [Trauma](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/trauma\/), [Women's Issues](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/womens-issues\/), [Women's Spirituality](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/womens-spirituality\/)\n\n[![How to find value, meaning and purpose in difficult times](https:\/\/jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg)](https:\/\/jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg)\n\nWhen the Coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, imposing restrictions and lockdowns on almost the entire world’s population, great suffering followed. People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with.\n\nHowever, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in [The Year the Earth Changed](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet\/) – nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives.\n\nWhilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair.\n\nNelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote,\n\n*“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.”*\n\nIn Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed,\n\n*“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.”*\n\n### Finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process\nHashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic [here](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet\/).\n\nMany years ago after [receiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/healing-the-trauma-of-infertility-and-ivf-for-women\/), I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time.\n\nIn *That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief*, David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like:\n\n1\\. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties  \n 2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway  \n 3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right?  \n 4. Sadness\/Depression: I don’t know when this will end  \n 5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not.  \n 6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience\n\nMessages of [positive thinking](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/soul-sessions-26-with-dr-lara-owen\/) and ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a [spiritual bypass](https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/au\/blog\/emotional-sobriety\/201110\/beware-spiritual-bypass). They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight\/flight\/freeze response to trauma. Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on\\!\n\nAs someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering\\!\n\nBeing with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that *‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’*\n\n### Transformation and post traumatic growth\n*“Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.”* [Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat](https:\/\/www.spiritualityandpractice.com\/practices\/alphabet\/view\/32\/transformation)\n\nWhether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making.\n\nIt is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life.\n\n### Journal prompts to help you work through a crisis\n• How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice.\n\n• Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering?\n\n• Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this?\n\n• Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself?\n\n• What does the following quote mean to you? *‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’*\n\n• Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other [parts](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/internal-family-systems-revealing-the-inner-world-of-parts\/) of yourself kindness and compassion?\n\n• Choose a seed word from my [Soul Qualities Journal](https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/au\/listing\/1116606566\/100-soul-qualities-workbook-journal) and use it in your journal writing\n\n• What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this?\n\n• Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth.\n\n### Check out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times\n[Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times](https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Wintering-learned-flourish-became-frozen\/dp\/1846045991\/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1229254318866724&hvadid=76828559588593&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=123175&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-76828637784073%3Aloc-9&hydadcr=1923_405956&keywords=wintering+katherine+may&qid=1706675861&sr=8-1) by Katherine May\n\n[The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple](https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Marmalade-Diaries-True-Story-Couple-ebook\/dp\/B09Q3L34ZS\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E0MWW0FMK59U&keywords=marmalade+diaries&qid=1706676008&sprefix=maramalade+diaries+%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1) by Ben Aitken\n\n[The Long Walk to Freedom](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nelson-Mandela-Long-Walk-Freedom\/dp\/B00IFGJ9E4\/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=The+Long+Walk+to+Freedom&qid=1586500700&s=books&sr=1-3) by Nelson Mandela\n\n[Man’s Search for Meaning](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl\/dp\/1416524282\/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=mans+search+for+meaning&qid=1586500644&sr=8-4) by Viktor Frankl\n\n[Left for Dead](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Left-Dead-Story-Resilience-Courage-ebook\/dp\/B00DY1F3VI\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=left+for+dead+barlow&qid=1586500543&sr=8-1) by Samantha Barlow\n\n[Educated](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover\/dp\/0399590501\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Tara Westover\n\n[Back After the Break](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Back-After-the-Break\/dp\/146075624X\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586325375&sr=1-1) by Osher Gunsberg\n\n[The Happiest Refugee](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Happiest-Refugee-Memoir-Anh-Do\/dp\/1742372384\/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+happiest+refugee&qid=1586325433&s=books&sr=1-2) by Anh Do\n\n[Girl in the Woods](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Girl-Woods-Memoir-Aspen-Matis\/dp\/0062291076) by Aspen Matis\n\n[Unbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Unbreakable-Women-Share-Stories-Resilience-dp-0702259675\/dp\/0702259675\/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1586325526) by Jane Caro\n\n[I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beat-Odds-Homelessness-Blind-Beyond-ebook\/dp\/B005GSYY94\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+beat+the+odds&qid=1586501027&s=books&sr=1-1) by Don Yaeger\n\n[A Child Called It](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004FN1T3K\/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) by Dave Pelzer\n\n[The Diary of Anne Frank](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Diary-Young-Girl-Anne-Frank-ebook\/dp\/B0041OT9W6\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25TRDS3M1ENIW&dchild=1&keywords=the+diary+of+anne+frank&qid=1586506270&s=books&sprefix=the+diary+%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C367&sr=1-1) by Anne Frank\n\n### Connect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness\n*“Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.”*\n\n### Are you struggling throughout this difficult time?\nCome and join my free membership group for trauma suffers: [Trauma Warriors TM](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/traumawarriors.online)\n\nIf you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here, [search for a trauma therapist](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-to-find-a-good-trauma-therapist-on-the-northern-beaches-of-sydney-and-online\/) who holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work.\n\nPhoto Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel\n\n[PrevPrevious7 Tips to Help You Ditch Your New Year Diet Resolutions](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/7-tips-to-help-you-ditch-your-new-year-diet-resolutions\/)\n\n[NextOnline Therapy: Video Chat Is The New BlackNext](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/online-therapy-video-chat-is-the-new-black\/)\n## SHARE THIS JOURNAL\n### ABOUT THE AUTHOR\n![Picture of Jodie](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b43ca06aab4a0800cfb94bcec8328e28bc7ab7efc6f9d74bbb5d6f8b2ede61fb?s=300&d=mm&r=g)\n\n#### Jodie\nSydney Registered Clinical Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Counsellor, Trauma + Eating Disorder Therapist, Jodie Gale, is a leading specialist in women’s emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being. Over the last 20+ years, Jodie has helped 100s of women transform their lives. She has a private counselling, life-coaching and psychotherapy practice in Manly, Allambie Heights and Frenchs Forest on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Jodie is passionate about putting the soul back into therapy\\!\n### RELATED JOURNALS\n[![](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tap-taste-heal-227x300.jpg)](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/eft-tapping-emotional-eating\/)\n\narticles\n\n### [Tap, Taste, Heal: Use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to Eat Joyfully and Love Your Body](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/eft-tapping-emotional-eating\/)\n[Read More »](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/eft-tapping-emotional-eating\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/emotional-eating-and-trauma-recovery-books-300x187.jpg)](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth\/)\n\narticles\n\n### [Books for Emotional Eating, Trauma and Self-Worth: Healing Your Relationship with Food, Body and Soul](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth\/)\n[Read More »](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/apple-cider-vinegar-review-300x167.jpg)](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar\/)\n\narticles\n\n### [Apple Cider Vinegar: Emotional Eating, Orthorexia and Wellness Influencers](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar\/)\n[Read More »](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar\/)\n### FEEDBACK\n## Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times\/#respond)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Jodie-Gale-How-to-Befriend-Your-Body-Feelings-Mind-Soul.jpg)](https:\/\/view.flodesk.com\/pages\/5f158277ed8c850026fb03f9)\n\nHow to Befriend Your Body, Feelings, Mind & Soul.\n\n[Download your FREE ebook 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Spirituality](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/category\/articles\/womens-spirituality\/)\n\n### Client love\nI've had therapy before, lots of it, but nothing like this! Jodie is one of a kind.\n\nThank you for all the work that we did together. I know it has gone a long way to healing the way I treat myself & has given me greater Peace. Thank you for the enormous part you have played in my journey.\n\nI spent most of my adult life putting other people’s feelings and needs first. In my therapy with Jodie, I learnt how to nurture and be true to myself.\n\nWhen I came to therapy, I was depressed and suicidal; my life was pointless. Jodie sat with me in the darkness – she was so patient and always there for me.\n\nIn therapy, I learned how to become a nourishing mother to myself – this meant finding ways to soothe myself and meet my needs in other ways, rather than using food and drugs.\n\nI found attachment and trusting in relationships to be my biggest struggle, but with Jodie’s help I barely notice it anymore. Her love and encouragement completely changed my life.\n\nWhen I first came to therapy, I had no idea of the depth of the work we would do together. I’m leaving therapy so much more confident, empowered and self-believing.\n\nI have spent most of my life in therapy, jumping from one therapist to another just waiting for something to work. And then I met Jodie. I felt comfortable and was able to be open and truthful for the first time.\n\nJodie’s raw approach to therapy was so refreshing. She had struggles in her own life, I knew what she said was real and I didn’t feel crazy or alone anymore because someone finally got it. Her compassion and desire to see me live my best life is palpable. I owe her my life.\n\nJodie is down to earth, caring and compassionate. I felt fully accepted for the first time in my life. It was this acceptance that helped me heal from my past trauma, hurts and problems.\n\nThe pain in my body was so heavy. It was unbearable. It has been a long and painful journey but now I am coming through the other side.\n\nSometimes therapy was hard and challenging but I learnt how to communicate more positively and I have more confidence now. It has improved my relationships with my family, with friends and at work.\n\nThe kindness, love and compassion Jodie shared with me throughout my therapy, are the most important tools I’ll ever need. The world needs a million more Jodies\\!\n\nI used to feel completely worthless and not good enough – even more so after many failed attempts at therapy and being told I was ‘treatment resistant’. Jodie was patient with me and it was ultimately the start of my recovery from depression and many years of self-neglect.\n\nBefore therapy I felt abandoned and alone. I went to some dark places with Jodie, she witnessed my suffering and was there with me. It was hard but I did it and now I feel stronger.\n\nI believe in destiny and I am so grateful that Jodie came into my life – she taught me about honesty, trust, boundaries, and healthy love.\n\nWorking with Jodie is a blessing for anyone fortunate enough to receive her support. She provided for me a space, both empty and full. Empty enough for me to find silence, stillness… and in that calm and quiet space, find me. And full- full of the love she unwaveringly offers, full of support and challenge.\n\nJodie always reflected back to me that there was something better, waiting on the other side of darkness. For me, she was the light house throughout my recovery journey. Jodie offered me light, until I found my own.\n\nWorking with Jodie pushed me to my limits, I wanted to quit so many times, and yet there was something in the way she mirrored back to me my own strength, my own purpose, my own soul, that kept me digging deep and showing up for myself.\n\nI never thought it would be possible to recover from my eating disorder - emotional and binge eating - Jodie was patient with me and always held the hope of recovery until I was ready to hold that for myself.\n\nI've had therapy before, lots of it, but nothing like this! Jodie is one of a kind.\n\nThank you for all the work that we did together. I know it has gone a long way to healing the way I treat myself & has given me greater Peace. Thank you for the enormous part you have played in my journey.\n\n### Northern Beaches Emotional Eating & Trauma Therapist, jodie gale, has featured in...\n![AsSeen](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/AsSeen.jpg)\n\n[Facebook-f](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thesoulcentreonline\/)     [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jodie.gale\/)     [Pinterest-p](https:\/\/www.pinterest.com.au\/jodiegale\/)     [Youtube](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCVaD9DBLOhv8jMSiclrbJSQ)     [Spotify](https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/5T5jfINgMn1vs5YDvFBOJ4)\n\n**Jodie Gale. 25+ Years’ Experience in the Eating Disorder and Trauma Field.**\n\n**PACFA Registered Clinical Psychotherapist.** **PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor. Childhood Trauma Expert. Certified Eating Disorder Therapist.**\n\nCounselling for Emotional Eating (Binge Eating), Trauma & Low Self-Worth on the Northern Beaches of Sydney: Allambie Heights 2100, Frenchs Forest 2086 and Manly 2095 and Australia-wide online. The Land of the Gadigal & Gayamaygal People of the Eora Nation.\n\nPh. 0431 878 858\n\nCOPYRIGHT ©2026 JODIE GALE.\n\n- [Terms & Conditions](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/terms-conditions\/)\n- [Privacy](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/contact-northern-beaches-counselling\/)\n\nManage consent","attrs_readable_markdown":"[![How to find value, meaning and purpose in difficult times](https:\/\/jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg)](https:\/\/jodiegale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg)\n\nWhen the Coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, imposing restrictions and lockdowns on almost the entire world’s population, great suffering followed. People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with.\n\nHowever, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in [The Year the Earth Changed](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet\/) – nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives.\n\nWhilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair.\n\nNelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote,\n\n*“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.”*\n\nIn Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed,\n\n*“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.”*\n\n### Finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process\nHashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic [here](https:\/\/psychosynthesis.online\/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet\/).\n\nMany years ago after [receiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/healing-the-trauma-of-infertility-and-ivf-for-women\/), I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time.\n\nIn *That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief*, David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like:\n\n1\\. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties  \n 2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway  \n 3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right?  \n 4. Sadness\/Depression: I don’t know when this will end  \n 5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not.  \n 6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience\n\nMessages of [positive thinking](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/soul-sessions-26-with-dr-lara-owen\/) and ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a [spiritual bypass](https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/au\/blog\/emotional-sobriety\/201110\/beware-spiritual-bypass). They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight\/flight\/freeze response to trauma. Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on\\!\n\nAs someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering\\!\n\nBeing with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that *‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’*\n\n### Transformation and post traumatic growth\n*“Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.”* [Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat](https:\/\/www.spiritualityandpractice.com\/practices\/alphabet\/view\/32\/transformation)\n\nWhether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making.\n\nIt is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life.\n\n### Journal prompts to help you work through a crisis\n• How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice.\n\n• Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering?\n\n• Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this?\n\n• Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself?\n\n• What does the following quote mean to you? *‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’*\n\n• Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other [parts](https:\/\/www.traumawarriors.online\/internal-family-systems-revealing-the-inner-world-of-parts\/) of yourself kindness and compassion?\n\n• Choose a seed word from my [Soul Qualities Journal](https:\/\/www.etsy.com\/au\/listing\/1116606566\/100-soul-qualities-workbook-journal) and use it in your journal writing\n\n• What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this?\n\n• Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth.\n\n### Check out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times\n[Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times](https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Wintering-learned-flourish-became-frozen\/dp\/1846045991\/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1229254318866724&hvadid=76828559588593&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=123175&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-76828637784073%3Aloc-9&hydadcr=1923_405956&keywords=wintering+katherine+may&qid=1706675861&sr=8-1) by Katherine May\n\n[The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple](https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Marmalade-Diaries-True-Story-Couple-ebook\/dp\/B09Q3L34ZS\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E0MWW0FMK59U&keywords=marmalade+diaries&qid=1706676008&sprefix=maramalade+diaries+%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1) by Ben Aitken\n\n[The Long Walk to Freedom](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Nelson-Mandela-Long-Walk-Freedom\/dp\/B00IFGJ9E4\/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=The+Long+Walk+to+Freedom&qid=1586500700&s=books&sr=1-3) by Nelson Mandela\n\n[Man’s Search for Meaning](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl\/dp\/1416524282\/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=mans+search+for+meaning&qid=1586500644&sr=8-4) by Viktor Frankl\n\n[Left for Dead](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Left-Dead-Story-Resilience-Courage-ebook\/dp\/B00DY1F3VI\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=left+for+dead+barlow&qid=1586500543&sr=8-1) by Samantha Barlow\n\n[Educated](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover\/dp\/0399590501\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Tara Westover\n\n[Back After the Break](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Back-After-the-Break\/dp\/146075624X\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586325375&sr=1-1) by Osher Gunsberg\n\n[The Happiest Refugee](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Happiest-Refugee-Memoir-Anh-Do\/dp\/1742372384\/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+happiest+refugee&qid=1586325433&s=books&sr=1-2) by Anh Do\n\n[Girl in the Woods](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Girl-Woods-Memoir-Aspen-Matis\/dp\/0062291076) by Aspen Matis\n\n[Unbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Unbreakable-Women-Share-Stories-Resilience-dp-0702259675\/dp\/0702259675\/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1586325526) by Jane Caro\n\n[I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Beat-Odds-Homelessness-Blind-Beyond-ebook\/dp\/B005GSYY94\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+beat+the+odds&qid=1586501027&s=books&sr=1-1) by Don Yaeger\n\n[A Child Called It](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004FN1T3K\/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) by Dave Pelzer\n\n[The Diary of Anne Frank](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Diary-Young-Girl-Anne-Frank-ebook\/dp\/B0041OT9W6\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25TRDS3M1ENIW&dchild=1&keywords=the+diary+of+anne+frank&qid=1586506270&s=books&sprefix=the+diary+%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C367&sr=1-1) by Anne Frank\n\n### Connect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness\n*“Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.”*\n\n### Are you struggling throughout this difficult time?\nCome and join my free membership group for trauma suffers: [Trauma Warriors TM](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/traumawarriors.online)\n\nIf you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here, [search for a trauma therapist](https:\/\/www.jodiegale.com\/how-to-find-a-good-trauma-therapist-on-the-northern-beaches-of-sydney-and-online\/) who holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work.\n\nPhoto Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Description	Even through unimaginable suffering it is possible to find meaning and purpose throughout difficult times - Viktor Frankl is one such person.
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Boilerpipe Text	When the Coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, imposing restrictions and lockdowns on almost the entire world’s population, great suffering followed. People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with. However, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in The Year the Earth Changed – nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives. Whilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair. Nelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote, “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.” In Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed, “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.” Finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process Hashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic here . Many years ago after receiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed , I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time. In That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief , David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like: 1. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties 2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway 3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right? 4. Sadness/Depression: I don’t know when this will end 5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not. 6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience Messages of positive thinking and ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a spiritual bypass . They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight/flight/freeze response to trauma. Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on! As someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering! Being with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that ‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’ Transformation and post traumatic growth “Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.” Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Whether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making. It is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life. Journal prompts to help you work through a crisis • How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice. • Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering? • Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this? • Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself? • What does the following quote mean to you? ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ • Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other parts of yourself kindness and compassion? • Choose a seed word from my Soul Qualities Journal and use it in your journal writing • What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this? • Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth. Check out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple by Ben Aitken The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl Left for Dead by Samantha Barlow Educated by Tara Westover Back After the Break by Osher Gunsberg The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do Girl in the Woods by Aspen Matis Unbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope by Jane Caro I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond by Don Yaeger A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank Connect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness “Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.” Are you struggling throughout this difficult time? Come and join my free membership group for trauma suffers: Trauma Warriors TM If you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here, search for a trauma therapist who holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work. Photo Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel
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People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with. However, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in [The Year the Earth Changed](https://psychosynthesis.online/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet/) – nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives. Whilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair. Nelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote, “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.” In Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed, “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.” ### Finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process Hashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic [here](https://psychosynthesis.online/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet/). Many years ago after [receiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed](https://www.jodiegale.com/healing-the-trauma-of-infertility-and-ivf-for-women/), I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time. In That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief, David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like: 1\. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties 2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway 3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right? 4. Sadness/Depression: I don’t know when this will end 5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not. 6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience Messages of [positive thinking](https://www.traumawarriors.online/soul-sessions-26-with-dr-lara-owen/) and ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a [spiritual bypass](https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/emotional-sobriety/201110/beware-spiritual-bypass). They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight/flight/freeze response to trauma. Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on\! As someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering\! Being with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that ‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’ ### Transformation and post traumatic growth “Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.” [Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat](https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/alphabet/view/32/transformation) Whether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making. It is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life. ### Journal prompts to help you work through a crisis • How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice. • Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering? • Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this? • Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself? • What does the following quote mean to you? ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ • Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other [parts](https://www.traumawarriors.online/internal-family-systems-revealing-the-inner-world-of-parts/) of yourself kindness and compassion? • Choose a seed word from my [Soul Qualities Journal](https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1116606566/100-soul-qualities-workbook-journal) and use it in your journal writing • What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this? • Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth. ### Check out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times [Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times](https://www.amazon.com.au/Wintering-learned-flourish-became-frozen/dp/1846045991/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1229254318866724&hvadid=76828559588593&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=123175&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-76828637784073%3Aloc-9&hydadcr=1923_405956&keywords=wintering+katherine+may&qid=1706675861&sr=8-1) by Katherine May [The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple](https://www.amazon.com.au/Marmalade-Diaries-True-Story-Couple-ebook/dp/B09Q3L34ZS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E0MWW0FMK59U&keywords=marmalade+diaries&qid=1706676008&sprefix=maramalade+diaries+%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1) by Ben Aitken [The Long Walk to Freedom](https://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Mandela-Long-Walk-Freedom/dp/B00IFGJ9E4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=The+Long+Walk+to+Freedom&qid=1586500700&s=books&sr=1-3) by Nelson Mandela [Man’s Search for Meaning](https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1416524282/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=mans+search+for+meaning&qid=1586500644&sr=8-4) by Viktor Frankl [Left for Dead](https://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Story-Resilience-Courage-ebook/dp/B00DY1F3VI/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=left+for+dead+barlow&qid=1586500543&sr=8-1) by Samantha Barlow [Educated](https://www.amazon.com/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover/dp/0399590501/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Tara Westover [Back After the Break](https://www.amazon.com/Back-After-the-Break/dp/146075624X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586325375&sr=1-1) by Osher Gunsberg [The Happiest Refugee](https://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Refugee-Memoir-Anh-Do/dp/1742372384/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+happiest+refugee&qid=1586325433&s=books&sr=1-2) by Anh Do [Girl in the Woods](https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Woods-Memoir-Aspen-Matis/dp/0062291076) by Aspen Matis [Unbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope](https://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Women-Share-Stories-Resilience-dp-0702259675/dp/0702259675/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1586325526) by Jane Caro [I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond](https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Odds-Homelessness-Blind-Beyond-ebook/dp/B005GSYY94/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+beat+the+odds&qid=1586501027&s=books&sr=1-1) by Don Yaeger [A Child Called It](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FN1T3K/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) by Dave Pelzer [The Diary of Anne Frank](https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Young-Girl-Anne-Frank-ebook/dp/B0041OT9W6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25TRDS3M1ENIW&dchild=1&keywords=the+diary+of+anne+frank&qid=1586506270&s=books&sprefix=the+diary+%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C367&sr=1-1) by Anne Frank ### Connect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness “Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.” ### Are you struggling throughout this difficult time? Come and join my free membership group for trauma suffers: [Trauma Warriors TM](https://www.facebook.com/traumawarriors.online) If you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here, [search for a trauma therapist](https://www.jodiegale.com/how-to-find-a-good-trauma-therapist-on-the-northern-beaches-of-sydney-and-online/) who holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work. Photo Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel [PrevPrevious7 Tips to Help You Ditch Your New Year Diet Resolutions](https://www.jodiegale.com/7-tips-to-help-you-ditch-your-new-year-diet-resolutions/) [NextOnline Therapy: Video Chat Is The New BlackNext](https://www.jodiegale.com/online-therapy-video-chat-is-the-new-black/) ## SHARE THIS JOURNAL ### ABOUT THE AUTHOR ![Picture of Jodie](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b43ca06aab4a0800cfb94bcec8328e28bc7ab7efc6f9d74bbb5d6f8b2ede61fb?s=300&d=mm&r=g) #### Jodie Sydney Registered Clinical Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Counsellor, Trauma + Eating Disorder Therapist, Jodie Gale, is a leading specialist in women’s emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being. Over the last 20+ years, Jodie has helped 100s of women transform their lives. She has a private counselling, life-coaching and psychotherapy practice in Manly, Allambie Heights and Frenchs Forest on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Jodie is passionate about putting the soul back into therapy\! ### RELATED JOURNALS [![](https://www.jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tap-taste-heal-227x300.jpg)](https://www.jodiegale.com/eft-tapping-emotional-eating/) articles ### [Tap, Taste, Heal: Use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to Eat Joyfully and Love Your Body](https://www.jodiegale.com/eft-tapping-emotional-eating/) [Read More »](https://www.jodiegale.com/eft-tapping-emotional-eating/) [![](https://www.jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/emotional-eating-and-trauma-recovery-books-300x187.jpg)](https://www.jodiegale.com/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth/) articles ### [Books for Emotional Eating, Trauma and Self-Worth: Healing Your Relationship with Food, Body and Soul](https://www.jodiegale.com/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth/) [Read More »](https://www.jodiegale.com/books-for-emotional-eating-trauma-self-worth/) [![](https://www.jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/apple-cider-vinegar-review-300x167.jpg)](https://www.jodiegale.com/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar/) articles ### [Apple Cider Vinegar: Emotional Eating, Orthorexia and Wellness Influencers](https://www.jodiegale.com/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar/) [Read More »](https://www.jodiegale.com/emotional-eating-wellness-influencers-apple-cider-vinegar/) ### FEEDBACK ## Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https://www.jodiegale.com/find-meaning-and-purpose-throughout-difficult-times/#respond) [![](https://www.jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Jodie-Gale-How-to-Befriend-Your-Body-Feelings-Mind-Soul.jpg)](https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f158277ed8c850026fb03f9) How to Befriend Your Body, Feelings, Mind & Soul. 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Jodie is one of a kind. Thank you for all the work that we did together. I know it has gone a long way to healing the way I treat myself & has given me greater Peace. Thank you for the enormous part you have played in my journey. I spent most of my adult life putting other people’s feelings and needs first. In my therapy with Jodie, I learnt how to nurture and be true to myself. When I came to therapy, I was depressed and suicidal; my life was pointless. Jodie sat with me in the darkness – she was so patient and always there for me. In therapy, I learned how to become a nourishing mother to myself – this meant finding ways to soothe myself and meet my needs in other ways, rather than using food and drugs. I found attachment and trusting in relationships to be my biggest struggle, but with Jodie’s help I barely notice it anymore. Her love and encouragement completely changed my life. When I first came to therapy, I had no idea of the depth of the work we would do together. I’m leaving therapy so much more confident, empowered and self-believing. I have spent most of my life in therapy, jumping from one therapist to another just waiting for something to work. And then I met Jodie. I felt comfortable and was able to be open and truthful for the first time. Jodie’s raw approach to therapy was so refreshing. She had struggles in her own life, I knew what she said was real and I didn’t feel crazy or alone anymore because someone finally got it. Her compassion and desire to see me live my best life is palpable. I owe her my life. Jodie is down to earth, caring and compassionate. I felt fully accepted for the first time in my life. It was this acceptance that helped me heal from my past trauma, hurts and problems. The pain in my body was so heavy. It was unbearable. It has been a long and painful journey but now I am coming through the other side. Sometimes therapy was hard and challenging but I learnt how to communicate more positively and I have more confidence now. It has improved my relationships with my family, with friends and at work. The kindness, love and compassion Jodie shared with me throughout my therapy, are the most important tools I’ll ever need. The world needs a million more Jodies\! I used to feel completely worthless and not good enough – even more so after many failed attempts at therapy and being told I was ‘treatment resistant’. Jodie was patient with me and it was ultimately the start of my recovery from depression and many years of self-neglect. Before therapy I felt abandoned and alone. I went to some dark places with Jodie, she witnessed my suffering and was there with me. It was hard but I did it and now I feel stronger. I believe in destiny and I am so grateful that Jodie came into my life – she taught me about honesty, trust, boundaries, and healthy love. Working with Jodie is a blessing for anyone fortunate enough to receive her support. She provided for me a space, both empty and full. Empty enough for me to find silence, stillness… and in that calm and quiet space, find me. And full- full of the love she unwaveringly offers, full of support and challenge. Jodie always reflected back to me that there was something better, waiting on the other side of darkness. For me, she was the light house throughout my recovery journey. Jodie offered me light, until I found my own. Working with Jodie pushed me to my limits, I wanted to quit so many times, and yet there was something in the way she mirrored back to me my own strength, my own purpose, my own soul, that kept me digging deep and showing up for myself. I never thought it would be possible to recover from my eating disorder - emotional and binge eating - Jodie was patient with me and always held the hope of recovery until I was ready to hold that for myself. I've had therapy before, lots of it, but nothing like this! Jodie is one of a kind. Thank you for all the work that we did together. I know it has gone a long way to healing the way I treat myself & has given me greater Peace. Thank you for the enormous part you have played in my journey. ### Northern Beaches Emotional Eating & Trauma Therapist, jodie gale, has featured in... ![AsSeen](https://www.jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/AsSeen.jpg) [Facebook-f](https://www.facebook.com/thesoulcentreonline/) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/jodie.gale/) [Pinterest-p](https://www.pinterest.com.au/jodiegale/) [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVaD9DBLOhv8jMSiclrbJSQ) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5T5jfINgMn1vs5YDvFBOJ4) Jodie Gale. 25+ Years’ Experience in the Eating Disorder and Trauma Field. PACFA Registered Clinical Psychotherapist. PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor. Childhood Trauma Expert. Certified Eating Disorder Therapist. Counselling for Emotional Eating (Binge Eating), Trauma & Low Self-Worth on the Northern Beaches of Sydney: Allambie Heights 2100, Frenchs Forest 2086 and Manly 2095 and Australia-wide online. The Land of the Gadigal & Gayamaygal People of the Eora Nation. Ph. 0431 878 858 COPYRIGHT ©2026 JODIE GALE. - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.jodiegale.com/terms-conditions/) - [Privacy](https://www.jodiegale.com/privacy-policy/) - [Contact](https://www.jodiegale.com/contact-northern-beaches-counselling/) Manage consent
Readable Markdown	[![How to find value, meaning and purpose in difficult times](https://jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg)](https://jodiegale.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sylwia-bartyzel-L4NfLl7SJGU-unsplash-2.jpg) When the Coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, imposing restrictions and lockdowns on almost the entire world’s population, great suffering followed. People lost loved ones, freedom, income, homes, and everything their ego and self had become identified with. However, amidst this turmoil, and as we collectively paused – as documented in [The Year the Earth Changed](https://psychosynthesis.online/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet/) – nature seized the opportunity to bounce back and thrive. Across seas, skies, and lands, the Earth found its rhythm when human activity came to a halt. Simultaneously, many of us discovered a profound sense of value, meaning, and purpose as we were compelled to stop our usual busy lives. Whilst the pandemic catapulted us into global suffering, history reminds us that there have been many inspirational people who have shown us that even through unimaginable suffering and trauma in life; it is possible to find value, meaning and purpose out of major life crises. Their stories provide us with hope in times of darkness and despair. Nelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. He wrote, “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lies defeat and death.” In Man’s Search for Meaning, one of the most influential post-war psychology books published, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl observed, “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a deeper meaning to his life.” ### Finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times as part of the grieving process Hashtag COVID19 and Coronavirus on social media and we were bombarded with posts encouraging us to focus on the silver lining and to find meaning and purpose throughout the current world situation; one post in particular asked us which zone we want to be in – the fear zone, learning zone or the growth zone? Many of these quotes and infographics were inspirational for sure but we must remember that finding silver linings, and meaning and purpose throughout difficult times is a journey, and one that almost certainly catapults us into the depth and darkness of the grieving process along the way. I wrote about my dark night of the soul throughout the pandemic [here](https://psychosynthesis.online/the-best-climate-change-documentaries-on-the-planet/). Many years ago after [receiving the news that my 12th IVF cycle had failed](https://www.jodiegale.com/healing-the-trauma-of-infertility-and-ivf-for-women/), I was encouraged to ‘just think positive and focus on the silver lining’. In that moment, all I felt was pain; excruciating, deep, black hole kind of pain. It was pain not only because of the loss of a dream but the pain of my trauma history. It was a seven-year journey through hell and back before I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Having become a mother through adoption 8 years ago – I now find myself saying often, ‘thank goodness for infertility, we wouldn’t be blessed with these amazing children otherwise!’ Entering the growth zone takes time. In That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief, David Kessler – co-author with Elisabeth Kubler Ross of On Grief and Grieving – discusses their five stages of grief and his new work on the sixth stage of grief – finding meaning. The stages are not linear and we may find ourselves moving in and out. Throughout the Coronavirus Crisis, it looked like: 1\. Denial: This virus won’t affect us, we are only in our twenties 2. Anger: You are making us stay home and away from our activities, fuck you, I’m going out anyway 3. Bargaining: OK, I get it – if we social distance for two weeks then everything will be better, right? 4. Sadness/Depression: I don’t know when this will end 5. Acceptance: This is happening. This got us in touch with our sense of agency and power. We focused on those things we could control and let go of those we could not. 6. Finding meaning: There was great suffering and… something valuable came out of this experience Messages of [positive thinking](https://www.traumawarriors.online/soul-sessions-26-with-dr-lara-owen/) and ‘find the silver lining’ have the right intention but often the wrong intervention. They are well meaning but they encourage detouring around the grieving process and provide a direct route to a [spiritual bypass](https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/emotional-sobriety/201110/beware-spiritual-bypass). They can also unconsciously increase spiritual narcissism. For example, in the zone infographic I mentioned earlier, there is a judgment towards those who are stuck in the fear zone and a positive vibe towards those in the learning and the growth zones. The behaviours we are seeing in the fear zone are in some cases a fight/flight/freeze response to trauma. Regardless of where we are (likely moving between all 3 zones), the most helpful thing to do is to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves no matter where we are, even if we are stuck in fear, panic buying, rebelling against authority and so on\! As someone who works with women who have suffered deeply due to early childhood trauma, emotional neglect and the resulting issues: anxiety, addictions, co-dependency, depression and disordered eating – what I know for sure is that spiritual bypassing, avoiding, sweeping under the rug, numbing and medicating our pain – are all useful mechanisms for coping short term but long term, are all sure-fire ways to more suffering\! Being with, and processing our difficulties, however, is not about suffering unnecessarily. Viktor Frankl warns us that ‘to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.’ ### Transformation and post traumatic growth “Transformation usually involves the shedding of old ways, especially those that have become burdens. This practice proclaims that no matter who you are, no matter what has already happened to you, no matter what you have done, it is still possible to be and do something new.” [Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat](https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/alphabet/view/32/transformation) Whether it is individually as we grapple with our personal dilemmas and demons or globally, as in the case of the Coronavirus, all crises call us to awaken to a new way of being. As with any shift in identity caused by a crisis, Joan Evans, encourages us to neither deny or repress our suffering but to include this as a learned experience which is incorporated into our new identity. It is precisely because of working our way through a ‘long and arduous journey’, as Psychosynthesis Founder Roberto Assagioli puts it, that we build our capacity for resilience and meaning making. It is this focus on finding meaning and purpose throughout difficult times, that Frankl counts as helping him not only survive in Nazi death camps – but to continue on and thrive afterwards in life. ### Journal prompts to help you work through a crisis • How are your symptoms or those of the current world crisis limiting you? How are they serving you? It may seem strange that something so limiting to your life-energy, can also be serving you in some way. It’s about making space for both parts of you to have a voice. • Is your life energy trapped in maintaining cycles of anxiety, addiction, depression, eating problems, overspending, negative thinking, perfectionism or……….? What steps do you need to take to free yourself of your unnecessary suffering? • Looking back over your life, has anything positive arisen out of difficult circumstances? How have you grown because of this? • Who are your role models that have overcome adversity? What qualities do you admire about them? How can you activate these parts and qualities within yourself? • What does the following quote mean to you? ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ • Write down anything you feel bad about or the painful feelings you are having today. Now write to that part of you that is suffering, a letter full of acceptance, kindness and compassion (just like you would write to a friend who is suffering). What happens when you show other [parts](https://www.traumawarriors.online/internal-family-systems-revealing-the-inner-world-of-parts/) of yourself kindness and compassion? • Choose a seed word from my [Soul Qualities Journal](https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1116606566/100-soul-qualities-workbook-journal) and use it in your journal writing • What makes your heart sing? What steps do you need to take to actualize this? • Connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. Wonder about how when something dies, it makes room for growth. ### Check out these inspirational life-stories by people who have overcome crisis and found meaning and purpose throughout difficult times [Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times](https://www.amazon.com.au/Wintering-learned-flourish-became-frozen/dp/1846045991/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1229254318866724&hvadid=76828559588593&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=123175&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-76828637784073%3Aloc-9&hydadcr=1923_405956&keywords=wintering+katherine+may&qid=1706675861&sr=8-1) by Katherine May [The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple](https://www.amazon.com.au/Marmalade-Diaries-True-Story-Couple-ebook/dp/B09Q3L34ZS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E0MWW0FMK59U&keywords=marmalade+diaries&qid=1706676008&sprefix=maramalade+diaries+%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1) by Ben Aitken [The Long Walk to Freedom](https://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Mandela-Long-Walk-Freedom/dp/B00IFGJ9E4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=The+Long+Walk+to+Freedom&qid=1586500700&s=books&sr=1-3) by Nelson Mandela [Man’s Search for Meaning](https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1416524282/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=mans+search+for+meaning&qid=1586500644&sr=8-4) by Viktor Frankl [Left for Dead](https://www.amazon.com/Left-Dead-Story-Resilience-Courage-ebook/dp/B00DY1F3VI/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=left+for+dead+barlow&qid=1586500543&sr=8-1) by Samantha Barlow [Educated](https://www.amazon.com/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover/dp/0399590501/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) by Tara Westover [Back After the Break](https://www.amazon.com/Back-After-the-Break/dp/146075624X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1586325375&sr=1-1) by Osher Gunsberg [The Happiest Refugee](https://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Refugee-Memoir-Anh-Do/dp/1742372384/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=the+happiest+refugee&qid=1586325433&s=books&sr=1-2) by Anh Do [Girl in the Woods](https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Woods-Memoir-Aspen-Matis/dp/0062291076) by Aspen Matis [Unbreakable: Women Share Stories of Resilience and Hope](https://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Women-Share-Stories-Resilience-dp-0702259675/dp/0702259675/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1586325526) by Jane Caro [I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blind Side, and Beyond](https://www.amazon.com/Beat-Odds-Homelessness-Blind-Beyond-ebook/dp/B005GSYY94/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+beat+the+odds&qid=1586501027&s=books&sr=1-1) by Don Yaeger [A Child Called It](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FN1T3K/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) by Dave Pelzer [The Diary of Anne Frank](https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Young-Girl-Anne-Frank-ebook/dp/B0041OT9W6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25TRDS3M1ENIW&dchild=1&keywords=the+diary+of+anne+frank&qid=1586506270&s=books&sprefix=the+diary+%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C367&sr=1-1) by Anne Frank ### Connect with your body to help you find meaning in the darkness “Qoya is based on the idea that through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is inherently wise, wild and free.” ### Are you struggling throughout this difficult time? Come and join my free membership group for trauma suffers: [Trauma Warriors TM](https://www.facebook.com/traumawarriors.online) If you need a greater level of support to work through any of the topics mentioned here, [search for a trauma therapist](https://www.jodiegale.com/how-to-find-a-good-trauma-therapist-on-the-northern-beaches-of-sydney-and-online/) who holds a hopeful context and who is able to re-frame life’s difficulties but who can also sit with, and bear, deep suffering. This work and is not about finding a quick fix or a solution – it is deep trauma and soul work. Photo Credit: Sylwia Bartyzel
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