Be Strong in the Face of Adversity

When things go wrong it can be difficult to see the way out. You might feel as a victim of many bad happenings in your life. But I have good news for you: we all face challenges from time to time.

Friends and family get divorced, economies plunge, unemployment sets in - all in all adversity has many faces. But you can choose to be an optimist, even in trying times.

They say you know a man by the way he handles adversity. And it is somewhat true. There is nothing difficult in handling winning in the lottery. There is nothing difficult in getting a pay raise. There is nothing challenging in only experiencing all the good times.

What you can do to face adversity is to find little steps in the right direction. Don't hurry things along. Take small baby steps ahead. Storming past a death in the family may just cause you to suppress important emotions that need to be dealt with. You can recover without getting into a depression, but it requires the right attitude towards your trial.

Getting that right attitude involves reading books about the problem, talking with friends, planning a new future and many other facets in helping yourself. Don't hesitate to ask others for help. They will be glad to help, and you might get a chance to return the favor sometime in the future.

What can be most difficult is to set a boundary for when you want to have some time alone. We all need a timeout from time to time. Collect our thoughts. Get a grasp of the situation.

So, honesty is the best policy. When you don't feel like being social, say so. But be aware that people around you want to help. Being strong in adversity also involves knowing in whom you can confide. Trust is important, and in trying times it is especially important to be around loyal people who want you to succeed. Staying around bad influence - or people with a bad attitude - can cause you more damage than good.

Many don't accept this rule of life, but it is important nonetheless. You cannot grow when you are in a state of despair and internal conflict. You must achieve balance in all the little things to get bigger things in order.

The same goes with stress-related apathy. You need to change the stress elements to get proper sleep and proper food. Otherwise you would be letting adversity knock you down, and that should never be your goal.

Good luck in recovering, and being strong in adversity.