Right now everyone would agree that we are living a very difficult time. The COVID-19 has been scary and life-changing. However, pandemic or no pandemic, we will always have difficulties during our lifetime. However, adverse times create the opportunity for new thinking. So, what do difficult times teach us and why they are important after all?
Difficult times always come unexpected and when we least expect it. Getting divorced, problems at work, debt, health problems, can really make life difficult to handle, and sometimes it is just too much.
However, no matter how difficult the situation, no one should ever lose hope. Staying positive and remembering that there will always be a silver lining even in difficult times will be your rock during such difficult times.
So what do difficulties learn us after all?
1. Accept reality
During a difficult situation, everyone is feeling upset and sad, or even guilty. However, by spiraling down that set of mind will just affect your health, putting an extra burden on your shoulder.
For this reason, it is important to just accept things as they come, instead of regretting over the fact why this has happened. As the French say ‘’Que sera sera’’; what’s done is done, and it cannot be changed, you just have to accept the things as they are. This will help clear your mind and relieve all the stress/
2. Know the cause of the problem
While it is good not to hold your emotions inside, you will only get out of the situation when you start analyzing it. Try and find what caused the problem, and what ways are there to solve its.
Any problem can be solved if you find the reason behind why it happened, and then find the right way to deal with it.
3. It will not last forever
Every difficult time will eventually pass; this is very important to remember. However, the time in between can be rough. For this reason, try and stay calm, and accept the change you are experiencing.
In order to get through a difficult time more easily, try and discuss your problem with your people. By just talking to your family, friends and closed ones, you will give be very relieved, while they could also offer some suggestions that could actually solve your problem for permanently.
Therefore, no matter what the problem, share it with your closed ones and remember: it will pass soon.
4. Don’t worry be happy
Happiness is hard and not easily found, as it comes from within. Ton truly be happy you must find ways to put a smile on your face even on the darkest days. By feeling happiness you will eventually be able to reduce your stress and receive strength to solve the problem you are facing. To find happiness try practicing hobbies that you find or do anything that you enjoy. For this reason, prepare a list of all the things that make happy and start doing them. By doing things that make you happy they might not provide a solution, but they will surely provide some relief.
5. Live in the present
Many of us tend to think about their future way too much. While future planning is necessary, constantly thinking about the future could lead to more worries.
Instead of constantly thinking about the future, try to be more focused on the present and deal with the difficult situation.
6. Patience is a virtue
Difficult times are certainly an opportunity to learn to be patient. Whether you are dealing with problems at your work, or waiting for the quarantine to end, patience is the way to go. Indeed patience is a great virtue and harsh times are a great time to practice it.
7. Adapt, overcome
Right now you may feel that everything is changing and you are losing your balance, while uncertainty is off the roof. It is a true fact that constant change can be disorienting, which takes a toll on the mental and emotional health.
8. Self-Discipline
However, by challenging situations we don’t always mean life-changing problems. In fact, just by stepping out your comfort zone. While being in quarantine can be a great time to watch your favourite series in one day, it could also be an opportunity to do something new and difficult. Exercise, learn a new skill, write a book, the ideas are endless.
According to research, a new habit can be forged in 21 days, and now is a perfect change to try something new.
9. Be grateful
Being grateful for everyday things and people is crucial to feeling happiness. During difficult times you can greatly expand your gratitude. Someone can be grateful for many reasons: a good friendship, time with family, and bonding time with your coworkers.
You can also be grateful for being healthy, especially in times like these. Finally, challenging times can make anyone understand that how important it is to have people that we can rely on, and provide us with insightful contributions are.
10. Take care of yourself
There many times during our lives when we completely forget about what’s good for us. Stress, not eating healthy, not enough sleep, can make a difficult times even harder. Now is the time to change that. Eat better, exercise and focus more on your general wellbeing. It is true that it make take a problem to understand what we have to change. So, learn from the problem and focus on making yourself stronger, both physically, as well as mentally.
In summary, problems may actually be opportunities for us to grow. Difficulties push us out of our comfort zone, teaching us what our limits are, and what more we can do. Of course, they could be tough to handle from time to time, but you will eventually emerge a better person out of this.
