Throughout our day, we are engaged in activities that will make our lives “better”, easier, more secure, happier, or make others happy. We avoid adversity, or anything that may bring adversity upon us. And yet, if you look back at our lives, we see that when times have been hard, we have stepped up and taken on challenges that we never thought we could handle. We have all heard the story of Candace Lightner , the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Candace founded MADD when her thirteen year old daughter died when a drunk driver hit her and left her body on the side of the road.

When I first heard that story I immediately thought that I could never have the strength to transform such tragedy into something so meaningful. But I often see people who have shown uncommon courage in difficult situations, dismiss the label of “hero” . They say that in their situation anyone would have done what they did. I don’t know about that. But maybe, just maybe, they are right. When I look back at my life, I see that the times when I have been challenged the most, when I have faced huge adversities, those are the times that I have shown most courage and plumbed the depths of my capacity to survive and make a better life for myself.

I am not suggesting that all of us could do what Candace Lightner did, but I do believe that when our back is against the wall, when we are squeezed, the best in us comes through.

About Rochna: Rochna Hazra is trained in Marriage and Family Therapy at Virginia Tech. She includes the emotional, psychological, spiritual and family aspects of a person in her work. Originally from India, she combines the Eastern traditions of mindfulness, non-judgment and a holistic approach to healing with the Western approach of realism and solution-focused action.

Rochna uses Cognitive-Behaviorial techniques to help you overcome anxiety.

Rochna is also a Certified Advanced Relapse Prevention Specialist and trained in Sex Addiction and Mindfulness-based Therapy and Relapse Prevention.

Click here to learn more about Alcoholism treatment, Anxiety Treatment and my practice in Leesburg, Virginia