Sometimes
life gets hard - things don't go the way we plan, people try to pull
us down and everything seems to be falling apart while we can just
look on and wish that we could attempt to turn it all around. Although
we might not always be able to control everything that happens in
life and we're sure to hit times that seem hopeless, the one thing
that is always within our control is the way we choose to handle
these difficulties and our mental outlook going forward: that is why
I have dedicated this post to helping you deal with these problems.
This post is written straight from my heart and I hope it will be of
value to you.
1. Choose your outlook on the situation
This
might seem like bad advice; after all, if you could simply change you
outlook on things you probably wouldn't even need to be reading this
post. But bear with me over here and I'll explain what I really mean
by this: it is important to not see the way we choose to view things
as a passive choice we simply make. If you're in a rut you can think
“I'll be positive” as many times as you wish, but at the end of
the day it's unlikely to make a difference if all you ever did was
think it. Instead, try to help yourself develop a more positive
outlook on things by thinking of some things you can actually do to
improve your mental state. This could be anything from taking a
little bit of time each day to spend on doing something that helps
you forget about how discouraged you've been feeling or it could be
more proactive, like starting a support group for people who are
having the same problems. The choice does not consist in simply
thinking you're going to feel different, but in choosing that you'll
reach out to do something to make you feel better even if it won't
change your situation.
2. Remind yourself of the things you've still got going for you
Do
you still sleep in a bed?... Under a roof? I know it may not seem
like much at first, but if we take time to focus on being thankful,
it could make us realize just how much we still have going for us. Is
there any particular person in your life you are grateful for? Is
there any particular object, such as a musical instrument or a book
that you are grateful to still own? Focus on the things you have to
be thankful for and it might help you realize that eventually the bad
times might pass and you'll still have the things you're thankful
for. Take a little time to express your gratitude by telling someone
that you're thankful to have in your life what they mean to you or
playing on a musical instrument you're grateful to own. Even if it's
just ten minutes of your time (or five), make a conscious effort to
express your gratitude.
3. Take courage and do your best
It's
hard to stand up and be courageous when we're facing our fears and
disappointments, but sometimes it helps to realize that being courageous doesn't mean that the earth will be shifting beneath out
feet at the roar of our courage anytime soon. Sometimes being courageous means deciding that you'll hold true to your values
(honestly, integrity, love, compassion etc.) even if giving up on
them could improve your situation. Sometimes being courageous means
taking the time to help someone else even though you could also do
with a little leg up on something yourself. Sometimes being courageous means taking your mind from your own problems and seeing
the bigger picture and sometimes..it's taking the time to celebrate
life even when it seems like you've got nothing to celebrate.
When
things get rough, sometimes the best we can do is fight to stay
positive people, the kind of people other people still want to be
around; the kind of people that still help to encourage others
instead of dragging them down. Sometimes, the greatest courage can
lie in our choice to be the kind of people we wish there were more of
in this world. But to be remarkable and to be remarkably courageous,
is not easy. Actually, it's one of the most difficult virtues to
master because it really only falls in place when we've got some of
the other ones down like thankfulness, empathy, love and patience.
But if we endure in a spirit of courageousness, we will come ever
closer to having an unconquerable courage and we will stand up for
all the things we hold most dear to us because that is what people
who are truly brave do. They face their fears and fight their way out
and sometimes that could mean facing another day...it could mean
facing another week, or month, or year of getting up everyday even if
you've got something to be scared of, but it is well worth the effort
for the person you'll become.
The
most admirable people in this world are not the ones who were never
scared of anything, or who never failed, or the ones who got
everything “just right” from the get-go; the most admirable
people are the ones who had the most to fear and who very well did
fear those things, but learned to overcome their fears in the
process; the most admirable people didn't always have 100% control
over their circumstances – on the contrary, they are often the
people who had to deal with the most difficult circumstances and
found their way out of them even if failure seemed inevitable.
What
do you do when you get discouraged? How do you deal with it when difficult situations in life get you down? Please let me know in the
comments below.
