How To Remain Positive In Challenging Times

Challenging times are an imminent part of life. A sad reality, right? I apologize for starting this blog post with such a despondent tone, but please, I implore you to be patient; I promise you that I’m getting somewhere with this.

Sometimes, it’s wise to accept things that we can't change for what they are and look for solutions to the things we can change.

Let’s start out by figuring out the different aspects of challenging times and how they affect us; by doing this, we can work towards finding ways to deal with these tough times.

It is relevant to understand the different types of challenging situations people deal with in life. There are two broad categories of challenging times. The first is the things that are out of your control or external things, and the second is the things that are within your control or internal things. This blog post will hopefully show you how to confidently handle each type.

External hard times are incidences like unavoidable casualties, i.e., death, unforeseen events, losing your job due to downsizing or layoffs etc.

On the other hand, internal hard times are circumstances that affect you directly, or you may have influenced in some way or another. Examples may be disagreements and quarrels that may lead to breakups in relationships or losing your job due to some misconduct on your part or sickness coming from an adverse lifestyle that negatively impacts your life.

The most critical step in staying and remaining positive in challenging times is understanding the type of situation you encounter, whether external or internal. This knowledge would then lead you in taking the right steps.

External Challenging Times.

These circumstances are beyond your control. You need to understand this and not spend so much time pondering what you did right or wrong; you had nothing to do with it because at some point in time, everyone will go through these situations. Trust me, you are not cursed or unlucky.

By doing this, you will be able to endure and overcome such challenges when they occur.

The mind is a very powerful thing and you win all battles and challenges in your mind first before you can move on physically, so being positive is an essential element in this process.

For example, if you lost a loved one, allow yourself some time to grieve but also try to remember all the good times you had with them, and make sure you are not alone at such times. Go out with friends, see a therapist if you need to. Try to keep busy and engage your mind positively.

Internal Challenging Times

Acceptance is key. You need to acknowledge that you had a part to play in whatever unfavorable situation you may find yourself in so that you can learn the life lessons attached to that predicament.

Maybe you were let go from your job due to some misbehavior on your part. Own up to yourself and accept the role you played and resolve to become better because we all make mistakes that do not define us and sometimes do things we aren’t proud of.

But we can rise from our mistakes, learn from them, and grow to become better versions of ourselves.

STAYING AND REMAINING POSITIVE IN CHALLENGING TIMES.

This is not an easy feat to achieve as our first instinct is to breakdown and lament over whatever negative situation may have befallen us, but understanding that these challenging times are usually temporary and won't last forever, may bring some form of hope and reserve to rise up and move forward in life.

So you may ask, “How do I stay and remain positive”? Although this is not an exhaustive list, it is a start to give you a leisurely sail through the challenging moments when you encounter them.

Be Grateful

One way to deal with trying times is to be genuinely grateful for the things we have. I know you may not be where you want to be, or things may seem to be crumbling all around you, but always remember it could be worse and you are not where you used to be. Basically, reflecting on what you have and the situations you have come through in the past can be a strong pedestal to launching you into the future for a do-over, a reset and a restart.

Join A Support Group

Try to avoid people who like to complain, bad-mouth others, and/or have a terrible outlook of life. Go all out to find groups that embody some of the values you desire, like accountability, trust, encouragement, an active and healthy lifestyle. This is a healthy way to stay positive and uplifted when you need it the most. The more you fill your life and surround yourself with positivity, the greater your chances of coming out stronger when you hit hard times.

Focus On Creating Healthy Habits

During these hard times, give more attention to changing and building new habits. There are countless ways to change your perception of life when you go through challenging times. These include changing your lifestyle and forming new habits that will make you stronger spiritually, mentally and physically.

Below are some suggestions you can incorporate in your daily routine:

1. Try to drink an extra glass of water as often as you can. There are numerous health benefits in drinking adequate water: proper temperature regulation makes your joints more supple and generally cleanses you from the inside out. A healthy body is one of life's greatest assets.

2. Try getting involved in activities that make you move your body. Take walking for example. Anybody can do this as it's the simplest form of exercise that will get your heart pumping and will basically boost your mood.

3. Try getting enough rest when necessary. You need to go to bed a little earlier than usual to get you up well-rested, with a boost of energy and with a brighter mood. By doing this, there will be no “getting up on the wrong side of the bed” days or at the very least, those kind of days will be few and far between.

4. Try taking up reading or listening to an e-book. Reading has been known to expand your worldly view, introduce you to new cultures, increase your capacity to think objectively and learn new things.

5. Try getting involved in your community more. When you give your time, skills and talents to serve others, you discover that there is something in you that can positively impact the people around you. And what greater joy is there than helping someone along the way?

So remember, challenging times will come, that is a given. But as the saying goes, “tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” You will get through this.