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Adversity is the tough times or difficult situation faced by all humans at some point in life. It can either be a loss of a loved one, mental instability, or any unpleasant incident.
Response to such a situation varies from person to person. One may overcome it quickly, whereas others might struggle to get past it.
This article will focus on overcoming adversity1 in life to learn and come out as a strong human.
Adversity can feel like a never-ending path filled with thorns, but you have to make it till the end, all moulded whilst standing strong.
We often encounter famous personalities on television shows who have faced various hurdles in life and have emerged as inspirational figures.
There are also inspirational books about people who overcame their adversity with sheer mettle and courage.
Overcoming this hurdle might seem like a difficult task or a challenge, but you build up a character of resilience when you deal with it.
Here Are the Top 9 Ways of Overcoming Adversity –
1. Develop a Sense of Humor
Finding humor in tough times would surely feel like a weird thing but do you know that laughing or smiling releases dopamine and endorphin hormones that work in relieving stress?
Surely, it won’t take away your problems at hand but will keep you sane by helping you to cope with the stress.
Your smile and rational thoughts are the only rays of sunshine in your dark times. Be the resilient person you are and lighten yourself up by making fun of the misfortune looming around.
The more you loosen up the funny bone within you, the more it will keep your mind off the negativities of the situations and pave the way for positives, giving you all the strength required to overcome adversity in life.
It won’t be easy to laugh or joke or smile in difficult times, but you have to try your best to get past the situation.
2. Understand the Problem
Unless you don’t figure out what the problem is, you can’t work towards overcoming adversity.
When you are in a contradicting situation, you might feel stuck. In such times, rather than panicking, breathe and ponder over the problem, try to figure out the main root of the problem and what is causing the problem to affect you.
When the actual problem is set in front of you, you can find ways of overcoming adversity.
When you have a clear definition of your problem, you can use your abilities and strength to bypass it.
3. Think About the Worst Case Scenario
In times of adversity, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You might lose money, relationships, or something very dear to you. Also, give a thought to how you will cope with such a loss.
Before adversity hits you, be mentally and emotionally prepared to avoid it from taking you off guard. Be ready like a warrior before stepping onto the battlefield.
Some adversities are inevitable, like death, but the pain that follows can be avoided. Make yourself aware of the inevitable adversity in advance so you can strengthen yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Plant it in your brains that you will face adversity at some point in time, and when you do, you are prepared in advance to face challenges and failures.
Think about what worse can happen and how to walk past the tangled mess if it does.
4. Recall the Adversity of the Past
Reminisce the adversities you have been through before and how you overcome them.
What was your past adversity? What strategies did you implement, and what were your major strengths while overcoming adversity back then?
If you have conquered your previous adversity, you possess enough power to get past any of the adversity that life throws your way.
You might feel drained or defeated at times, but don’t let it stump you, stand upright, and fight it off as you have done before.
The challenges and failures you have experienced will be your confidence booster2, and hence use it as a weapon in overcoming adversity that crosses your path.
Strengthen your resilience by looking at your past.
When adversity hits you, remember one thing, the adversity has crossed your way because only you have the ability and willpower to overcome it.
Don’t forget, that failures are the stepping stones to success. When you fail, you become stronger and bolder to battle the problems at hand.
5. Adversity Offers Good Lessons
Where did it all go wrong? What did you miss to make it go downhill? Were your efforts plausible enough for the required situation?
Self-reflection will give you your answers. They will pinpoint your mistakes and weaknesses, teaching you a lesson to avoid the same future.
Adversity is a wake-up call. You learn to rise from scratch, finding your true self on the way. You find the purpose of your life. It makes you rethink everything that you have done to date.
It encourages you to get out of your comfort zone, which is a huge step forward to achieve your dreams. It is a perfect time to learn and gain insights to lay the foundations for a successful future.
Adversity makes you realize that you don’t deserve the pain and tragedy that has bumped into you; instead, you deserve so much better. This realization will keep you going.
Learn from your mistakes as well as those around you.
The lessons learned from adversity hold greater value than those from everyday situations.
6. Adversity: A Chance for Opportunity
Adversity is a part of life. During the struggles in life, a variety of opportunities pop up which rather wouldn’t have in a normal situation. Instead of running away, hold on to it and make the best out of it.
As we discussed earlier, lessons learned from difficult situations are an opportunity. The opportunities that arise during adversity are a stepping stone to a bright and successful future.
In all walks of life, opportunities are waiting for attention, but it is your real challenge to recognize and embrace them.
Have you ever wondered if the situation at hand could’ve been better handled by someone else during tough times?
Why can’t that someone be you?
You, too, possess the intelligence and talents, so learn to accept the challenges and opportunities thrown your way.
Learn the art of recognizing opportunities in such a way as not to miss any chance.
7. Don’t Give Up
Quitting will be your greatest enemy.
When you give up, you lose the learning opportunity and miss out on life.
Don’t be afraid when adversity strikes you, and there is always a silver lining waiting for you to grasp it, therefore hang on to it and don’t lose hope.
In times of hardship, negative emotions would claw their way in tempting you to give up, but you have to stay ambitious in overcoming adversity.
When you feel bummed, seek motivation from inspirational quotes and read about the lives of successful people and how they got past the crisis in their lives.
Let a positive attitude be your guru in overcoming adversity and moving forward in life.
Develop an optimistic mindset where you look at adversity as something to overcome or a challenge rather than make your peace with.
Optimism is the best tool for overcoming adversity.
8. Have Faith in Yourself
If you are working towards overcoming adversity, the prime aspect is to believe in yourself. Lack of trust in yourself wavers your confidence to fight the obstacles in the way of life.
If you let your negative emotions rule your thinking, it is unlikely you will be successful in life because you will lack the motivation to move on. There is no success without hardship.
Replace your self-talks with ‘I can’t’ to ‘I will, and you will see a boost in your confidence. You’d let your abilities and talents flow into work towards overcoming adversity.
Your faith in yourself will strengthen you to fight off tough times in life.
Make your fear take a back seat!
9. Accept and Find Solutions to Improve the Situation
When adversity strikes, it is the human tendency to switch into panic mode. Learn to control your emotions in such cases.
Once you have detected your problems, accept them. The crisis has already made its way in, so there is no going back.
Your rational thoughts would kick in when you accept the situation. It will mentally prepare you to fight a fair war using all skills and strength against adversity.
Don’t worry about what happened, instead think about how you can better the situation.
Whatever adversity is thrown your way, instead of giving up, try to improve the situation whilst finding solutions for overcoming adversity.
Focus on your future and empower yourself.
Conclusion
Successful people are your greatest inspiration for overcoming adversity. Personalities like Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Oprah Winfrey, and many others have achieved success through various struggles in life.
How they have moulded their lives to achieve a bright future is worth looking at for overcoming adversity.
Be an expert at defeating the problems that pop up now and then. Maintain your focus on your goals and never let hardships faze you.
Adversity is a part of the journey we call life, so accept it with a happy heart.
- Hauser, Stuart T., and Joseph P. Allen. “Overcoming adversity in adolescence: Narratives of resilience.” Psychoanalytic Inquiry 26.4 (2007): 549-576. ↩︎
- Wapner, Jessica. “Confidence Booster.” Scientific American 299.5 (2008): 22-25. ↩︎
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