A sad fact of life is the fact that misfortune happens to everyone. It’s a sad reality of life and cannot be avoided no matter how hard you struggle in a bid to avoid trouble. It can be anything from sickness, accidents, monetary and relationship issues. While most struggles can be avoided, most of them are out of our control, and we would be faced with trying to deal with them when they occur.
This article shall discuss five simple ways of dealing with struggles in a constructive way. These steps prevent you from letting one period of struggle define your entire life and keep you forever grounded.
Start A Gratitude List
When facing struggles, it is easy to quickly become dissatisfied with life and fall into depression. To curb this, the first thing you should do when facing struggles is to create a gratitude list. This is a list that records everything you are grateful for. This is particularly important when facing struggles as it helps focus your attention on the positive points of your life. Numerous scientific studies have proven the relationship between well-being and gratitude.
Researchers have observed that focusing on the positive occurrences in your life reduces the risks of depression and improves overall life satisfaction. At first, write as many things as you can remember and then update it every night with at least three new things.
While this might be quite difficult at first, cultivating gratitude is important as the process of writing this takes your mind off worrying and to a happy place. This has an amazing impact on decreasing your anxiety and stress levels.
Accept Whatever Happened
When disaster strikes, most people turn to denial in a bid to deal with it. However, denial only makes you lose valuable time. The key to dealing with whatever struggle you are facing is first accepting it. Only when you accept what has happened can you focus on healing and moving past it. Accept whatever has happened and what it means to your life going forward, critically evaluate your situation, and come to terms with the outcome.
A common mistake people make is getting stuck thinking about fairness. They are stuck with phrases like “I do not deserve what happened”, “it isn’t fair”, or “why did it happen to me”. Life happened, and getting beat about whether or not life is fair would bog you down, leave you feeling sorry for yourself, and keep you from moving past the struggle.
Make A Plan
While the future can seem really bleak when going through a struggle, you should always plan ahead, as that is all life is about. Assess the situation and consider the most ideal outcome that is possible. Then armed with that, make a plan towards making that outcome possible. There are a truly infinite number of struggles people are plagued with, making it difficult to use examples; however, whatever struggle you might be facing, planning helps you look past the present struggles and the future.
Ask For And Accept Help
Humans are inherently social, and we draw support and solace from family and friends. Ask for help. You do not have to face whatever struggle you are facing alone, especially when it is becoming too much to bear alone. The reason most people do not ask for help is because of shame.
However, you can go to a trusted mentor or family member for help. There are two sides to asking for help; these are “asking” and “accepting the offered help”. Most people ask for help and then do not take the help when offered. When asking for help, be willing to accept support, advice, and guidance, especially from people with more knowledge or experience.
Persevere
Lastly, do not give up. Whatever struggles you are facing will pass, along with the painful feeling and feelings of helplessness. You might be preparing for an important test, a particularly tasking month at work, or dealing with the passing of a loved one; whatever it is, a major key to overcoming struggle is persistence. Follow the steps listed above and do it persistently even when you feel as if they are not working.
Conclusion
While there is no way to avoid struggle in life, research has proven that we can deal with it constructively and come out better off instead of a wreck. The five steps shared above will help you deal with struggles in a constructive way and grow as a result of it. Lastly, remember that you are not alone.