However, although we all know this, going through a tough time is usually hard. When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, we always have a choice: we can either let our problems affect us and control our feelings and actions — maybe for the rest of our life — or we can take control and face the situation. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, taking action when we feel overwhelmed can be hard. Truly hard. We know we should do something, but we just can’t think as clearly as usual, and it’s difficult to even take a step toward a potential solution. When we feel stuck, something that may help is visualize how things would improve if we did something. Then, another thing that usually helps is try to take a simple baby step towards a possible solution. Trying it over and over again, until we succeed in taking action. There are times when this process is slower because we might need to recover from a traumatic event. If that’s the case, it’s important to carefully look inside ourselves and understand what we need exactly to heal completely. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to find a direction:
Is it a past trauma? Is it a stressful situation that is affecting my life? Can I stop it? Do I need professional help?
When we manage to overcome a difficult situation and to recover, we often come out of it much stronger and wiser. From that point, it will be difficult for us to be affected by the same kind of trouble again, and with the same intensity. To successfully deal with a challenging experience, it’s essential to do four things: accept what happened — or what is happening — go through the pain, focus on something that distracts and motivates you, and believe that soon you will feel much better.
1. Accept what happened
This might seem the hardest part but it isn’t, if something happened in the past, you can’t do anything about it, all you can do is to accept it and focus on your present, and on your future. You can focus on all the positive things that surround you and practice gratitude, this will help you accept what happened. Being able to do that is almost anything you need to overcome problems in life. Recommended read: How to Be More Confident: 9 Simple Habits That Make the Difference
2. Go through the pain
To overcome tough times, you have to recognize and accept how you are feeling, express negative feelings, let them out, and elaborate them. This will help you feel better eventually and look forward. Talk about how you feel with someone you trust. If you ignore this step, you can’t heal completely. In this phase, exercise and contact with nature help a lot. If you can, take some time off from work, as it is essential if you want to heal completely.
3. Focus on something that distracts and motivates you
The practical part of overcoming hard times is to find something to hold on to. It must be something that makes you feel good, even when you are just thinking about it. Then hold on to it, make it a priority in your life, and try to start living normally again. In addition to this, you should always focus on feeling good and on taking care of yourself. Anytime you have negative feelings, do something good for yourself. Make room for self-care in your daily routine. Make sure you treat yourself like a queen or king. Simply leaving your house can make the difference. You can go take a long walk, listen to a playlist you love, eat healthy foods, drink organic green tea, call your best friend, laugh, do some yoga, or take dance classes. There are plenty of alternatives, these are just ideas, and you are the only one who knows what makes you feel better immediately. Recommended read: How to Be Successful: 10 Habits of Highly Effective People
4. Believe that soon you will feel much better
Having this belief is what will keep you moving forward. Visualize yourself after this hard time will be over. It will motivate you and allow you to live in the present and relax, without worrying too much about the future. Believing that the best is yet to come, is key to go through this process until the end and to overcome problems in general, without giving up when you feel discouraged. It’s all about your attitude. You will never see a never-ending storm, it doesn’t exist, the sun always comes back to shine. Have faith and strive for your happiness. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
