Being a human means that you will go through hard times now and again. There is not a person on the planet who has had a life of ease without any bumps in the road. No matter how privileged your life may be, you will still struggle with various issues like death, disease, and heartbreak at some point in your time on this earth.
Avoiding hard times may be impossible, but getting through them in a healthy way and living to see another day is not, and that being the case, let’s take a look at some of the healthiest ways to cope when things get tough, so you can avoid falling back on unhealthy coping mechanisms and get through whatever you’re going through faster and less scathed.
Change your perspective
When you are going through a hard time, it’s easy to focus on everything that is going wrong and how hard it is, but if you can find a way to change your perspective and look for the grain of positivity in what is happening to you, then it can make life a whole lot easier for you. For example, if you are mourning the loss of a much-loved pet, it’s easy to be swallowed by grief, and loss, but if you can reframe things to think about how much joy and happiness ur pet bright you and vice versa, and how you now perhaps have the opportunity to give another needy animal a home once the time is right, things can start to look better.
Talk to your loved ones and ask them for help
You really do not have to go through your hard times alone, not if you do not want to anyway. Instead of having to go through the hard task of looking for children and infant urns by Memorials.com alone, ask a trusted friend to do it with you for moral support, or instead of trying to quit your unhealthy habits cold turkey, see if a family member would be willing to quit their own bad habits right alongside you for support and strength in numbers. If you do not have anyone close who can help you, then talk to a counselor who will be able to steer you in the right direction and let you know that you are not alone.
Feel what you are feeling
When you are struggling with a difficult time in your life, it can be tempting to try and push down your emotions and ignore what you are feeling so that your feelings cannot hurt you and you can start to heal. This may work for a while, but eventually, you will be overwhelmed by your emotions and things will feel even worse than they maybe are in reality.
It’s far better to embrace yot feelings and use them to direct you and get you to the next stage of your life. Writing in a journal can be a useful way to get your feelings out and analyze them so you know what they are telling you and you have a better idea of the next steps you need to take to get through the tough period in your life.
Try positive projection
Positive projection is a powerful technique that can help you maintain a positive outlook and boost your emotional well-being during hard times. This practice involves imagining a positive outcome or future scenario in which your current challenges have been resolved or overcome. By envisioning a brighter future, you can foster hope, motivation, and a sense of direction, even in the face of adversity.
To practice positive projection, follow these steps:
Find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably and focus your thoughts.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to center yourself.
Envision yourself in a future scenario where you have successfully navigated through the tough time you are having and try to imagine your new improved life in as much detail as possible.
Reflect on the steps you took to overcome your challenges and acknowledge the personal growth and learning that resulted from your experiences.
Come back to the present moment.
Let go of your desire for control
Many of us feel like we need to be in control of every aspect of our lives to be happy, but this level of control is simply not possible. We never know what is around the corner and we need to be okay with that if we want to get through hard times because otherwise we may try too hard to do the impossible, or conversely give up completely because we have lost control and everything feels pointless.
One thing that can help us to let go of this desire for control in our lives is meditation which helps us to live in the now and do what we can now by focusing on what is right in front of us, instead of worrying about the future or going over and over how things went wrong in the past, and it is really easy to learn too.
Establish healthy touchstones
If you want to get through the shard parts of life in as healthy a way as possible, then it is a good idea to establish healthy touchstones throughout your day. Frome exericisng every morning to practicing yoga so you can get a healthy night’s sleep every evening, the more good things you can do for yourself, the easier life will be even when it’s harder than usual.
Remember “This too Shall Pass”
During tough times, it's important to remind yourself that your current situation is temporary. Even though it may feel overwhelming, remember that you've faced challenges in the past and emerged stronger and more resilient. There’s so much in life that can easily take over any sense of sanity in ourselves. Things beyond our control and battles against higher powers make us feel so small. Losing someone in an environment like a care setting that results in medical malpractice attorneys and a whole heap of stress can be insurmountable challenges that we constantly see celebrities undergo. But when we find ourselves in those situations that test every fiber of our being, we have to remember that all moments are transitory and everything passes. Maintain a sense of hope and trust in your ability to get through difficult times.