Most of us have experienced a personal setback at some point in our lives. Whether you’ve just been laid off from your job, are facing a serious illness, or experiencing heartbreak, these situations can take away from your happiness and affect those around you.
You may feel like you’re stuck at a low point and that happiness is unattainable. But it is possible to maintain a positive outlook during difficult times – it just takes a little effort.
To stay positive during difficult times you should practice gratitude, get social support, focus on what you can change, and accept that difficult times are a part of life. It’s also crucial to remember that you have the power to control your mindset and happiness.
The rest of this article will expand on these tips on how to stay positive during difficult times and give you a broad overview on how to recognize the power that you have over your thoughts and emotions.
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The Importance of Staying Positive in Tough Times
Often, we feel as if difficult times are unique to us, but they affect everybody. And there’s no way to avoid them completely. Cultivating a negative mindset at the first sign of difficulty or wanting to throw in the towel is a sign of weakness.
But when you stay positive in tough times, you build strength and resilience that will take you to new heights in life. You’ll be able to adjust to new environments, you’ll handle difficult people more effectively, and you’ll develop an optimistic nature that will draw more people to you, and allow you to live a happier, more fulfilled life.
How to Stay Positive During Difficult Times: 13 Practical Tips
1. Accept that difficult times are a natural part of life
Difficult times are a part of life. They’re not something to be feared or avoided. In fact, difficult times can be some of the most rewarding and character-building experiences we’ll have. They teach us valuable lessons about ourselves and help us grow as people.
Therefore, instead of running away from them, accept that you’ll always have to face them, no matter what stage of life you are in. The wealthiest man on the planet has difficult times, and so do the celebrities you can’t take your eyes off, and not to forget the person who always looks like they have their s**t together on Instagram.
Nobody is immune to challenges and adversities.
2. Recognize that you have the power to control your happiness
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” This is one of my favorite quotes from Albus Dumbledore.
When difficult times come our way, it’s easy to feel like we’re powerless. However, we can’t control the events that happen to us, but we can control how we react to them.
Recognizing that you have the power to choose your own happiness is an important step in staying positive during tough times. You must remind yourself that you are strong and capable of overcoming any challenge.
Many people allow their external situations to shake them up internally. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, fear, all these negative emotions stem from external situations. However, we forget that we can control our internal state. If you can persuade your internal state to be calm in a fearful situation, and positive in a negative situation, you will reach the highest level of awareness and personal growth.
This is not something that comes easy though, it takes an immense amount of practice – practice in positive self-talk, meditation, and letting go of limiting beliefs.
According to Tony Robbins, when you control your internal state (or state of mind), you become the master of your emotions and you understand that life is happening for you, not to you.
3. Practice gratitude
When faced with adversity, our first reaction is to dwell on the negative aspects of our lives. However, if we make a conscious effort to seek out and appreciate the good things in our lives, we will be much better equipped to handle the challenges that come our way.
You can either let this difficult situation defeat you or you can choose to be grateful for the positive things in your life, no matter how small they may seem.
A great way to do this is to write down your blessings. Writing them down helps you “visualize” them rather than just thinking about them and easily forgetting.
4. Stay hopeful for the future
Remember, even when you are at the lowest point in your life and things look bleakest and most difficult, there is always hope. You just have to hang on a little longer, and there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
However, I know it can be challenging to have hope for the future when you’re amid difficulty. You can’t always see a way out. But having faith that things will turn around for the better will increase your strength to handle adversity.
Having hope means believing something good will happen, even when you can’t see how it will. In essence, hope is the foundation of a positive attitude. And better days are always ahead. No storm lasts forever.
5. Acknowledge your feelings
Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel down sometimes. You’re only human and it’s good to let your feelings out in the open. The more you bury your emotions, the more they will suffocate you.
However, you must try to avoid dwelling on your negative emotions for too long. Feel the emotion and then let it go.
Also, evaluate your current situation and be honest with yourself about what is causing negative feelings. What is causing you to feel negative about this situation? Is it jealousy? Anger? Intense heartbreak? Are you scared?
Very often, we feel certain emotions, but have no idea why we feel that way. And this leads to confusion, harboring negativity, and toxicity for too long, and ultimately slipping into depression. But this can be avoided by acknowledging our feelings and understanding why we feel a certain way.
6. Invest time into a passion project
When times are difficult, instead of wallowing in self-pity and having a negative mindset, it’s best to invest your energy and focus into a passion project. Moving your focus from the problem to a project that fills you with energy will enhance your positivity and take your mind off things.
This passion project can be anything from starting a blog to writing a book to doing more exercise. While you work on your project, you’ll notice that you deal with your difficult times in a more positive way.
7. Stay mindful of your mental and physical health
During adversity, we often forget about ourselves. Our minds become so consumed with our situation that we lose control over our mental and physical health. We sleep less, stress eat, and don’t have the energy to do any exercise.
However, if you don’t take care of yourself throughout this period, you’re going to feel worse. Generally, when we are tense, our body takes the hit first. You can feel the tension in your body from tight muscles to feeling extremely fatigued.
But this is when your body and mind need you the most. They need nourishment to give you the strength to face this challenge. Therefore, ensure that you eat the right foods and do some exercise (even if it’s just a 15-minute daily walk).
Also, don’t forget about your mental health. The stronger and more stable you are mentally, the better you’ll be able to handle challenges now and in the future.
8. Find the good
Even when things are tough, there are always some good things happening. Try to focus on those and let them outweigh the bad.
And every situation has some positive lesson that can be taken from it. Heartbreak teaches us to love ourselves more, sickness teaches us to be more grateful, and losing a job can open a new career avenue.
Furthermore, each of these challenges builds our character, by making us more patient, tolerant, and resilient.
9. Speak to your friends and family
Having a support system is crucial during difficult times. So, try to connect with other people and build positive relationships.
Sometimes a group counseling session with the people you love is all you need. And it’s very likely that the person giving you support is also going through their struggles, so they will also open up to you and share their problems. Which makes it a win-win situation for you both.
According to the National Library of Medicine, positive social support can increase your resilience to stress. Other studies have also found that when participants received social support, it led to the following benefits:
- Enhanced self-esteem.
- Significantly decreased emotional distress.
- Improved mental health.
So, you see, your personal relationships play an important role in dealing with life’s curveballs.
However, you must also be wary of the people you confide in. Ensure that you only speak to the most trustworthy people in your circle, as negative social support can be detrimental to your emotional health in periods of difficulty.
10. Focus on what you can control
Instead of focusing on the negative aspects that you can’t control, regain your control by focusing on what you can influence – your thoughts and emotions.
I’ll give you an example: In 2021, my city had riots. It was so scary because our homes started getting targeted too. You could hear gunshots coming from down the street. Obviously, this was a stressful time, not just for me, but for everyone else in my city.
I remember being so overcome with grief and fear. So, the next best thing I could do was work on my blog. I didn’t have control over what was happening outside, but I could control how I perceived the situation and what I could do with my time rather than stressing about what “might” happen.
You can say that this rescued me.
Another example is the pandemic. Nobody could control COVID-19 and the numerous lockdowns that were enforced on us. However, there were some who thrived and started new businesses, got into better shape, and protected their mental health, while some continued to complain and let themselves “go”.
This difference in mindsets only came down to focusing on what you have control over and letting go of what you don’t.
Therefore, if you can’t change your external situation, try reframing your internal thought process. And figure out what you can do during this time that’s going to positively impact you.
11. Avoid negative news in the media
Our world is full of negative media, news, and events. Especially in difficult times, the media can blow things out of proportion, and cause us greater stress and anxiety. However, one of the best ways I’ve found to not let the media affect me is to avoid it in the first place.
Now, I’m not saying you should stop watching the news or keeping up with current affairs, but try not to get too pulled in. Know when to stop your perusal of the news and get on with your life.
12. Remember that you are not alone
Every person in the world experiences difficult times in life. This is inevitable whether you’re a movie star, a homeless person, or a CEO of a big company. There are always going to be things that happen that make us upset, depressed, or unhappy.
So, when you’re going through a difficult period, remember that you are never alone. There are thousands and millions of people who are also going through their share of struggles.
13. Plan how you will deal with negative emotions when they arise
It is impossible to go through life without experiencing some form of adversity. Whether it be a global pandemic, the death of a loved one, or everyday stressors, we all have moments where things feel difficult.
However, the key to managing these negative emotions is having a plan for how you will deal with them when they arise.
One way to do this is by identifying your triggers: what are the things that tend to set off negative emotions in you? Once you know what your triggers are, you can develop coping mechanisms specifically tailored to those situations.
For example, you may find that you tend to overeat when you are stressed. So, you can develop a plan to help you deal with that.
But what if you have no idea what your triggers may be?
There is a relatively simple exercise that can help you identify your triggers. The next time you are feeling negative emotions (anger, sadness, frustration, etc.) ask yourself the following questions:
- What was going on when you started feeling this way?
- Did you react physically? Did your heart rate speed up, did you feel breathless, or did you have intense stomachache, etc?
- Did you have negative thoughts?
- What made you feel this way? Was it something someone said or did?
Final Thoughts
Anyone who lives a courageous life will face difficulties, and it’s inevitable that you will have to face them alone at times. However, positive people are better equipped to handle these situations.
So, ensure you practice the above tips and remember that it takes time to learn how to deal with obstacles and overcome challenges. But you will if you keep trying.
Keep your chin up and stay positive.
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