When we congratulate someone, it’s usually for a monumental occasion. For example, most often it’s because of graduation, pregnancy, promotion, or something similar. While these moments are worthy of celebrating, I think there are other things that are also worthy of congratulations. I am talking about when we make it through something difficult.
Throughout our lives, we all struggle with different things; whether it’s grief, mental health issues, or health issues, we’re all going through things. When we’re dealing with these hardships, it’s not always easy to see if we are going to make it to the other side. So when we do, it could help to hear “congratulations” from someone, especially those close to us.
Personally, the past few years have been incredibly difficult.
There have been days when it was so hard that I couldn’t see how I could see an end in sight with these life-altering changes. But all it would take was for a friend or family member to say something along the lines of “I’m proud of you,” and I’d feel so much better. This simple gesture means the world to me and makes a huge difference to me. These simple words allow me to realize that the work I was putting into myself was not going unnoticed. I felt validated and seen by my family and friends when I needed it most.
Our society has conditioned us not to congratulate each other when we get through something hard because we feel like sharing our struggles makes us vulnerable.
We are made to believe that others don’t care about our hard times. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Whenever someone else is going through a hard time, no matter how minor it may seem to us, congratulating them on coping can go a long way.
If someone makes it through a difficult time, and they’re still here at the end of it, that’s something worth celebrating.
Featured image via cottonbro on Pexels
