How can you stay positive in tough times?
Our mood is one of the biggest driving factors of our success. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are, if you give up before you try, you will never succeed.
It’s like if you assume you’ll lose immediately after seeing your hand in Thunderbolt online casino. The second you assume you’re going to lose, you don’t try your best, and it also assures your failure.
The world has experienced many traumatic events in recent times, including the global pandemic, political and social turmoil, natural disasters, and economic uncertainty. The crisis lives no doubt that human society is living through tough times.
Most people feel helpless and overwhelmed with stress and anxiety as they try to adjust to drastic changes happening in their lives. You could be affected by the loss of a loved one or lost material things from a disaster, which can create conflicting emotions and uncertainty in your life.
How you react to turbulent times in life determines your outlook, mood, and health. Although there is no proven way of avoiding adversity, sorrow, and distress in life, staying positive during tough times has been shown to smooth the rough waters and bounce back from hardship and misfortune.
Interestingly, during these turbulent times, people grow the most since they gain a new perspective on dealing with challenges. Of course, no one would wish for tough times in their lives, but the good news is you can discover how to stay positive in tough times.
- Practice gratitude
The best way to practice gratitude is by noticing and reflecting upon things you are thankful for, which will contribute to your feeling alive, better sleep, positive emotions, and a stronger immune system.
You can begin by creating a gratitude journal where you can write three things you are grateful for every day. Your focus is identifying thankful appreciation for positive things in your life, which is guaranteed to rewire your brain by reducing negativity and improving your happiness levels.
Although being grateful will not eliminate your challenges in life, you can add spice to your journal by being thankful for the negative experiences you encounter since they help mold you into today’s person.
- Practice mindfulness
You will agree that most people feel hurried and overwhelmed in much of their waking moments in the current world. The world is busy with the laundry to do, children to raise, bills to pay, and an ever-increasing cost of living.
With so much information and tasks to accomplish, you can easily lose connection with the present moment, thus, making you miss out on how you feel and what you are doing. Over time this kind of lifestyle hurts your health and well-being.
Living in the present moment will minimize unnecessary worries about the future or regrets about mistakes in your past, thus, improving your self-esteem, social skills, and success.
Another important benefit you can derive from practicing mindfulness during challenging times is improved physical health. The technique minimizes stress by lowering your blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, relieving gastrointestinal problems, and improving sleep.
So, next time you suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, substance use, eating disorders, and conflict with your special person, remember to practice mindfulness which is guaranteed to improve your mental health.
- Focus on What you can Control
Tough times are a cliché in the current world. Besides having a lot to deal with every day, it is healthy to focus on things you can control instead of wasting your time and energy on aspects of life that you cannot change.
The result of sweating about what you cannot change leads to overwhelming stress, making you feel powerless and lose your zest for life. A mindset shift will result in a more positive outlook on life and help you become better at dealing with challenges you face in life.
Sometimes it would be best to accept that it is what it is, which will help you remain calm in stressful situations instead of losing your cool. While focusing on what you can control will not automatically eliminate the anxiety of the unknown, it will give you peace and self-trust about the variables outside your control.
Since floundering around losing sleep over variables and outcomes beyond your control will make it harder for you to cope and endure tough times; hence, live a day at a time, even during uncertain and vulnerable circumstances.
- Share Some Kindness
The world is full of people who sleep hungry and have no clothes or even a place to lay their heads. The best way to stay positive during tough times is by sharing some kindness with people who barely meet their basic requirements.
Have you ever heard of a common bible adage that says ”there is more happiness in giving than in receiving?’’ Well, kindness will not eliminate your challenges, but I bet it will make you happier and improve your well-being and live longer.
When dealing with trying situations, you might fall into seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances. However, showing kindness helps you realize that others could be going through a lot more than you and move you to cultivate compassion.
So next time you are going through a tough time and feel vulnerable, step back and share some kindness with others and you will boost your mood and maintain a positive outlook in life.
- Spend Time in Nature
Urban living and advancing digital technology are why most people are stuck indoors staring at their electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, some of the information transmitted using these digital platforms is negative, leading to more stress and anxiety.
You can stay positive during tough times by switching from the digital world and spending time in nature. You can derive benefits, such as better mental health, improved mood, reduced irritability, restored capacity for concentration, and a boost in your endorphin and dopamine levels, translating to happiness.
During the nature walk, you have a better opportunity to meditate and reflect on your life which helps clear your mind and figure things out when dealing with tough times. Things can never get that bad, so relax and take a breath amidst nature to help you deal with uncertainty.
Next time you feel overburdened by the lot in your life, get outdoors, stroll by the beach on a sunny morning or take a walk in the woods as you admire the lush greenery for awakening your deepest feelings of peace and happiness.
Conclusion
The truth is that life will always have unpleasant circumstances that are beyond human control. Most people on social media only post the best version of themselves, which can be depressing if you compare yourself to them.
Therefore, give your mind a break from anything that interferes with your ability to live in the present moment, including social media, news, and time-consuming apps. Reflective meditation can help you have a clear picture of what you are dealing with and provide you with solutions on how best to deal with the challenge.
No matter how well we remain positive during problems, negative circumstances are inevitable, and there are things beyond our control. The antidote to winning the battle is focusing our time and energy on things we can control and being grateful for the lessons we learn during tough times.