Finding the Positive in the Face of Adversity
When faced with challenges and situations that threaten our security, comfort, personal freedom, happiness, or health it is so easy to be overcome by negative emotions and fall into despair, feelings of self-pity, dread and fear or an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.
If you ever hope to overcome the obstacles you are facing and get back to living a rich, rewarding life it is so important that you learn to let go of these negative emotions and focus instead on finding the positive even in the face of adversity.
Whether you believe it or not, our attitudes and thoughts directly influence the experiences that we have in our lives. Because of this a simple shift in your perception or outlook can make the difference between you overcoming adversity or continuing to spiral down into the depths of despair.
Think about it for a minute. If you allow yourself to be consumed by a feeling of hopelessness you won’t be inspired to take action to change your current circumstances because it will seem pointless. However, if instead you can dig deep and find a reason to feel hopeful about the future you will find the courage and strength to take action and to pull yourself up from where you are into a better place.
Now, let’s face it - there is nothing difficult about having a positive attitude when things are going great for you. Instead, it is when things aren’t going well or you are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges that you need to push to remain focused and dedicate yourself to finding things to feel good about.
If you are ready to try adopting a more positive outlook no matter what your current circumstances, here are some techniques you can try.
1. Start Living in the Moment
What happened yesterday is gone and done and there is nothing you can do to change it. There is no benefit at all to focusing on things that happened in the past.
Tomorrow hasn’t happened yet and there is no way for you to truly know what will happen in the future. Sure, you can torture yourself by running worst-case scenarios of what could happen through your head all day long, but in the end that won’t change the future or make it any better. Instead, all that will do is increase your stress levels, drag you further into despair and make you miserable.
Mark Twain once commented “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” There is no benefit to living in the future, anticipating the worst and envisioning all the things that can go wrong.
Instead, all we have is this moment. And before you know it this moment is already the past. So all we can do is make the most of each and every moment we have and do the best we can with it.
Start paying attention to what is happening right now. Start living your life in the moment instead of the past or the future. Notice and appreciate the good things you have around you right now and do what you can each moment to improve your life from exactly where you are.
2. Start Taking Action
One of the best things you can do to overcome adversity and dig your way out of negativity is to start taking action to change your life. Use adversity to propel yourself to greater things and to become more than you were.
Nothing will give you a sense of empowerment quite like taking back control of your life by taking action to make it what you want it to be.
Don’t feel like you have to get it all done immediately or that you have to solve your problems all at once. This can lead to more negative thoughts and feelings. Instead, find baby steps that you can take that lead your closer to where you want to be…and then do those things.
Each little step you take is one step closer to accomplishing what you want. And each positive step you take will help you to shift your overall attitude from one of negativity to a more positive perspective.
3. Make a List of Things You are Grateful For
No matter how bad things seem, there is always something to be grateful for. Sit down with a sheet of paper and write down as many things as you can think of that you are grateful for in your life.
Think about things like your children, your pets, the beauty of nature, friends and family who love you, something really good that happened to you, or anything else you can think of.
Look for things to be grateful for in your current situation as well, no matter how dire it may seem. For instance, let’s say you lost your job. You might want to try being grateful for the chance to find something new to do with your life. Perhaps you have been wanting to start a business, write a book, or work in a different field and losing your job was just the catalyst to get you to do it.
Don’t force feelings of gratitude if you don’t feel them, but really think about all the good things in your life. Do this each day and you will start to see a huge shift in your attitude and will become a more positive, productive and happy person.
4. Spend Some Time in Nature
Being outdoors enjoying nature and noticing the beauty that surrounds you can go a long ways toward giving you a more positive perspective on life. There is something good, pure and rejuvenating about getting back to nature and appreciating its beauty that can cleanse your spirit and help you shift your attitude.
There are many more ways that you can become more positive and change the way you feel during difficult times. Find what feels best to you and then do it every day until it becomes a habit. Before you know it your whole life will change and you will be living the full, rich and rewarding life that you deserve.
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