How well do you handle challenges? With the right perspective, any situation can be handled effectively and with minimal drama. Learning to direct your thoughts and attention are valuable assets in troubling times.
Maintaining a positive attitude provides the best opportunity to find a solution. If you’re forced to deal with a negative situation, why not do it with a smile?
Use these strategies to keep a level head when everything is going wrong:
1. Find a way to learn from the challenge. Challenging times can be excellent learning opportunities. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, but you must look for it. At the very least, ask yourself how you can prevent a similar situation from happening again. Imagine how great life would be if you never repeated the same mistake twice.
2. Be accurate. When something goes wrong, we often jump ten steps ahead and foresee the worst possible outcome. Avoid letting your emotions get the best of you. Be objective while analyzing the situation.
3. Ask yourself what you can do about it. Then listen to the answers you receive. Stay focused on solutions and avoid dwelling on the problems. Do you think it would be more effective to spend 90% of your time solving the situation or 90% of your time worrying?
4. Go for a run. Any form of exercise will do. Exercise can put that excess physical and mental energy to work. If you’re feeling stressed, some vigorous exercise will help. Most importantly, take care of yourself. Even during stressful times, it’s important to eat properly and to get enough sleep.
5. Maintain a positive attitude. Focus on the positive aspects of your life. One challenging situation doesn’t negate all the good things in life. Make a list of the many things that create a sense of gratitude in your life.
- By focusing on the positive, the negative will hold less power over you. The good feelings you generate will increase your ability to overcome the situation.
6. Realize that the situation is temporary. You’ve had many challenging times in your life, but you’ve survived all of them. It’s often surprising how much a situation can change in just a couple of days, weeks, or months. Just hang on and you’ll come out on the other side before you know it.
7. Help someone else. Helping others is an effective way to maintain a healthy perspective. There are people all over the world that would gladly trade their best day for your worst. Put your attention on helping someone else. You’ll feel much better and come to the conclusion that things aren’t really that bad.
8. Ask for help. There’s no reason to face the world alone. There are many people in your life that would be happy to provide a helping hand. All you have to do is ask. Wouldn’t you help someone if asked?
9. Find the advantage. Perhaps there’s a silver lining to your situation. If you look hard enough, the challenging situation might provide a huge advantage. You’re unlikely to find it if you don’t look.
10. Visualize a positive outcome. In many respects, you get what you expect. Take a few minutes each day and visualize a highly positive outcome. Expecting the worst can have negative consequences.
Your perspective can make all the difference. A negative outlook can make finding a solution much less likely. Use every tool at your disposal and keep your wits about you. Remember that the circumstances will eventually pass. Do your part to ensure they pass as quickly and smoothly as possible.
