Every day, we go through things that ignite a spark of concern. Sometimes it’s a minor inconvenience, but other times it’s not. It’s something that’s going to upend your life – turn your world upside down whether you were prepared for it or not. You’re probably able to look at your own life and name at least one challenge you’re concerned about, maybe a health issue or finances or relationships or something else. .
So what do you do in those situations? Well, sometimes it brings people to their knees. They panic, bury their head in the sand or break down out of sheer worry about what the future holds. Well, no one is saying here that’s not a normal reaction, because for most people, this is what happens. And here we are not saying you have to plaster a fake smile on your face and be upbeat about challenging times. There’s no need for phoniness.
The older you get, the more you likely see these challenges as a blip in the road. You’ve been through them so many times over the years that you expect them to occur. What’s comforting is that you’re still forging ahead. You got through things in the past and there’s nothing different about facing things this time.
Facing challenges is a process that strengthens you. It’s almost like building your immune system. You get a taste of something worrisome, handle it somehow, and next time, you feel slightly more fortified to get through the next issue.
The most awful part of this situation (being forced to endure challenges in life) is that they often pile up all at once. You have a financial issue, then a health problem hits, your pet needs to go to the vet for an emergency and an appliance quits working. The stress causes a rupture in a relationship due to mood issues, and it can feel as if your world is falling apart.
So here are six (6) tips to help you learn how to stay afloat, stay sane and toughen up for the
inevitable rollercoaster everyone has to go on at some point in their life:
1) Isolate the problem from the rest of your life. A bill that’s urgent shouldn’t affect your relationships, your weight, your ability to enjoy life, and so on. It’s hard, but actively begin compartmentalizing and quarantining the problems so they don’t seep over into other areas of your life.
2) Give yourself some grace and allowance for brief feelings of negativity. Need a good cry? To get some anger out? Go for it. But give yourself some parameters for how long you’ll allow yourself to wallow in this mood. Don’t let it fester forever.
3) Once you calm down and can think clearly, map out your solutions and options. Get out a pen and paper or use a mind map and attack it from every angle. How can this issue be resolved quickly or easily? Don’t just look at it from an overwhelming birds eye view. You want an approach that breaks it down for you into steps and a plan of action.
4) Who is the best support for the issue(s)? Sometimes you might have a family member or friend who excels in helping you keep a level head or think of a solution for specific things. Keep a note of who is good for what purpose if you need to. Sometimes, that might be a stranger online in a forum who always shares good advice. Even AI might hold the answer to your problems if you ask!
5) Keep track of past problems and resolutions. If you are overwhelmed by anything – finances, health issues, home repair – you name it – keep notes of what happened, how you felt in those crippling moments, and how it resolved over time. This is helpful in the future when something new occurs and you have something solid to glance at to remind you that you always weather the storm. Documenting things in the moment will help, but also make entries about previous experiences.
6) Learn how to go into proactive drive rather than reactive immediately. When something happens that’s upsetting, don’t just have a reaction – dig in and work on fixing it immediately. You might even brainstorm ideas ahead of time that you can refer to for things that commonly go wrong. For example, if you keep having health issues or home repair situations, have phone numbers and notes of the people you need to bring into the mix to resolve it.
There’s no way to get out of ever having to face things in life. Everyone has to. Some more than others. But you have what it takes to push through, manage your emotions and create the best outcome from the circumstances that you’re in. It requires a willingness to approach problems with a tactical mindset.
If you’re open to it, try this out the next time you feel reactive in response to a problem bubbling up to the surface in your life and see what a difference it makes when compared to the prospect of just breaking down and feeling hopeless about things.
Lastly, we would like to remind you that contents about the art of living, well-being and spirituality has always been one of our “flags”, or priorities, since we started Soul Brasil in 2002. Good luck!
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