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Strategies to Help You Get Through Difficult Times

December 10, 2020 By Christine Field

This post may contain affiliate links.

Are you having a tough year? I hear ya.

Life isn’t always easy. We’ve all faced some tough times. However, the way you handle difficult situations can make a big difference.

Many of us make life even more difficult by handling our challenges poorly. This creates additional issues that require time and energy to rectify. How you handle trying times says a lot about you. Others notice. Will you let these times bring out the worst in you or the best in you?

Make it easier on yourself and get through difficult times wisely with these easy strategies:

1. Remember that you have more options than you realize. Part of what makes challenging times challenging is the belief that you have no options. Feeling powerless isn’t pleasant. Remind yourself that you still have choices. How you choose to handle the trying situation is one of those choices.

2. Pay attention to all of the things that are still good in your life. You may have lost your job, but you still have your health and your family. Maybe you’re getting divorced, but you still have your friends, job, health, and your children.

• What was the best thing that happened to you last year? Who is most important to you? Make a list of at least 20 positive things in your life and then notice how much better you feel. This will help you to relax and cope.

• If you focus on the one thing that isn’t working, you’ll only succeed in making yourself more miserable.

3. Look for solutions. Focusing on your difficulty is natural, but ineffective. In fact, it only saps your resources. Decide that you’re going to find a viable solution. It doesn’t have to be the perfect solution. Just a decent solution. Give yourself the time you need to brainstorm, but avoid taking longer than necessary.

4. Begin implementing your solution. For example, if you’ve lost your job, your solution might include several steps:

• Update resume.

• Create accounts and profiles on five job boards, such as LinkedIn and Monster.com.

• Contact at least five headhunters in my field of employment.

• Contact everyone I know and let them know that I’m looking for a job.

• Update my social media accounts to show that I’m looking for work.

If you’re worried about the state of your finances due to job loss, try not to bury your head and ignore the trouble. If bankruptcy seems like it might have to happen, there are steps you can take to make sure you don’t lose everything. Look into how to stop foreclosure, for example, if you think you might be at risk of losing your home. If you’re prepared, you will feel calmer and more in control.

5. Control the controllable

When living through a crisis, you may have to accept that some issues are out of your control. The pandemic has underlined this like never before. Therefore, learning to focus your attention on maintaining control in areas that can make a positive impact.

This could mean seeking alimony after a difficult break-up from a marriage that had restricted your chance to follow your dreams. Missing out on your entitlement would be crazy. Or it could mean preparing the home for a quick sale, getting your physical health in better shape, and cutting unnecessary expenses. When these issues are no longer a worry, you will be better positioned to tackle the items that are causing your struggles.

6.  Keep a smile on your face. You don’t feel like smiling, but do it anyway. It will make you feel better and let others know that you’re okay. If you want to handle a challenging time gracefully, smiling is mandatory.

7.  Continue to take care of others in your life. Your family and friends still need you. You may have to reduce your care and attention a little, but don’t crawl into yourself and ignore everyone else in the world. You’ll feel better about yourself if you’re still taking care of the important people in your life.

8.  Release your anxiety. You can feel your anxiety in your body. It’s located in a specific location, most often your stomach or chest. Imagine opening up a door in that location and letting it all out. Continue releasing it until it’s all gone.

9.  Thank everyone when the crisis is solved. Let everyone know that you appreciate their love and support. You’ll be even more likely to get the same support the next time something goes wrong.

10. If you feel stressed due to difficult times you need to take the pressure off as much as possible; for instance, use local services such as this roofing company to help with your repairs and maintenance – sometimes you owe it to yourself.

It’s not a matter of whether or not you’ll face difficult times. It’s only a matter of when. Since challenging times are inevitable, why not deal with them effectively and gracefully? It will say a lot about your character, others will respect you, and you’ll come out on the other side quicker and less bruised.

Filed Under: Encouragement, Inspiration, Purpose and Passion, Self-care Tagged With: difficult times, strategies for difficult times

Previous Post: « Why We Should All Aspire To Cut Down On Chores
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

    May 23, 2018 at 6:58 pm

    Hello Christine and welcome to Midlife Share the Love Party. Your tips are useful and I particularly like the point about keeping a smile on your face. If I feel like I’m struggling I find going for a walk or run helps to clear my mind. Thanks for sharing your strategies with us and have a beautiful day. See you at next week’s #MLSTL

  2. Victoria

    May 23, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    Good thoughts but none really apply to my difficult time. My husband was diagnosed with cancer in Feb and future is very much in question. We live by two week periods in between chemo treatments. I am able to smile most of the time.

    • Christine Field

      May 25, 2018 at 2:24 pm

      I’ve been there – the uncertainty of the cancer walk.
      Sending prayers and positive energy your way.

  3. Donna McNicol

    May 23, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    EXCELLENT tips!!! Going to share on Facebook….too many people seem to be concentrating on the negatives in their lives. #MLSTL visitor

  4. Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au

    May 23, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    You are so right about challenging times and difficult times being a part of life. We all hope to escape them, but we all face them to some degree. My favourite saying is “this too shall pass” – everything has a season and good times come and go – and so do bad times. I also like to try to remind myself that the challenges are what grow my character – although I often think it would be nice to stay shallow and avoid tough times!

    Thanks for linking up with us at #MLSTL and I’ve shared this on my SM xx
    Leanne | http://www.crestingthehill.com.au

    • Christine Field

      May 25, 2018 at 2:23 pm

      Stay shallow? Never! Imagine all you’d miss!

  5. shelley

    May 25, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    I think what hits home for me is the advice to focus on the options. It seems when we’re in the middle of “whatever” our world and options feel limited – or non-existent. That only contributes to our desperation and feelings of hopelessness. I used to have a colleague who’d say “We’re not stuck” and most of the time that’s a true statement.

    Visiting from #MLSTL and sharing on my Facebook page.

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Hi, I’m Christine

Have you been a wholehearted mother, but time, toddlers and teenagers have moved on? If you are wondering what comes next for you, you’ll feel right at home here.

Or, are you a mom for whom family life has been non-Pinworthy and parenting has been downright painful? I hear ya. There are many of us around.

Are you looking for a life full of exploration and adventure after the nest empties, but maybe you have no idea how to go about doing that? Stick around! We’ll explore adventures together to help you gain more clarity for your own path.

After a couple decades of writing books and articles about parenting, homeschooling and adoption, speaking to homeschoolers and other parent groups, and reaching out to the mom in the trenches who was trying to make the best of it - my kids grew up. Some grew up and grew away. I was determined to find a way out of the pain, emptiness and lack of direction.

For many of us, the journey starts with something we moms are not accustomed to. After years of caring for and serving others, sometimes we forget the beauty and wonder of US. We need to spend some time getting to know the parts of ourselves that have lain dormant, and take the time to explore interests and passions that we set aside.

I’d like to invite you to get the “What’s Next for Mom” workbook and jump into this growing tribe of Moms who are emptying the nest and filling the life! Let’s reignite your Mojo after Mothering!
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About Christine

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At Real Mom Life, my passion is to provide resources and reassurances for moms facing the surprising challenges of family life. In my writing and speaking, I explore solutions to unexpected issues in adoption, homeschooling, special needs, and more while encouraging moms to extract the maximum joy out of each day. Read More…

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