whenever you hit a black streak in life, it may seem that the challenges you are facing are unique to you and that the whole world has shrunk. Perhaps you are struggling to find a way out of your current situation and just can't see the light of hope anywhere when the going gets tough. Fortunately, although you may not see it, there is always hope. Nothing lasts forever - even bad times and things, remembering why you started in the first place and practicing using your muscle courage are just a couple of things that can cut down on hard times. If you could find a way to not only survive but thrive when things get tough, how would your life change for the better? Here are ten ways you can make it happen today.
1. Understand How Far You Came
Whenever you get discouraged on your way to wherever you want to go, it's usually because you're only looking ahead and not around you or behind you. Your journey through life will last until your last day, so it's no surprise that you'll still see a long and sometimes difficult journey. In order to keep going despite this, it's important to take a minute or two to look around. See where you stand now compared to when you first started. See how far you've come since you started first. See how many obstacles and challenges you have successfully overcome. The benefits of reflective practice ((Psychology Today: What is reflection and why is it important for health)) is also extensive, and it is not surprising why. Looking back at how far you've come it's usually the fire you need to keep on burning brightly into the future.
2. Remember Why You Started
When things get tough, you need something to cling to to keep your firmness and remind yourself why you started doing something in the first place. Without it all-important why, you will be quick to evade your path. Whenever things are at their worst, your number one reason to do what is going to be is what pulls you through. As former Navy SEAL and motivation master David Goggins puts it:
"Why am I here?' If you know the moment is coming and your response is ready, you will have to make the lightning-fast decision to ignore your weakened mind and move on. I know why you are fighting!
Sometimes life can not be easy, especially within yourself, so your reasons for continuing will always help and pull you through when times get tough. Try writing it down and sending them to the places you watch every day to help them have even more impact.
3. Make it a habit for them to move forward.
Habits are one of the strongest behavioral predictors we have. Most of our habits occur in our subconscious and are triggered by external or internal signals. The great thing about habits is that they can be formed through conscious, repetitive behaviors, and once learned, they can eventually take their place in the subconscious mind and guide your life. Of course, you want good habits to be guiding your life in the background, not bad ones. That's why it's a good idea to make it a habit to always move forward. Contrary to what most people say, moving forward does not necessarily mean that you necessary to be better every day for the rest of your life. There will be bumps, bad days, and circumstances that throw you off course. Move forward to get back on track as quickly as possible. If you can make it a habit, you can always be closer to where you want to go.
4. Use 'If-Then' Planning
When times are tough in your life, one of the most effective mechanisms you can put in place is called 'if-then' planning. This is a simplified version of what is called the realization of intentions ((American psychologist: implementation of intentions: strong consequences of simple plans)), a concept developed by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer in the mid-90s. This will help you understand the meaning of confusing situations and be able to take action when you are really struggling. A simplified process is as follows: "If Х happens, I will г." For instance: "If I start eating negative thoughts, I'll take ten seconds to just breathe." "If I feel under constant stress for three days in a row, I'm on the fourth day of recovery and reset." If something planning puts strategy when hard times come. This takes away the element of thinking, planning, and worrying as you already know exactly what to do in every situation. The beauty of using if is something you can change , if и then for different situations based on what works best for you at any given time.
5. Find Some Mentors
With the internet more expansive and accessible than ever before, there are so many ways to get a glimpse into the world's best minds and see what they're doing with their lives when the going gets tough. Most successful people have had to overcome significant odds to get to where they are. Do a simple internet search and you will surely find out about all the problems that your loved ones have had to overcome. Because of this, you should try to draw inspiration from these people and find your own mentors. It must be admitted that no one trying to live their best life will ever be able to get through this without their share of problems. This is only part of the hero's journey.
6. Get out of your head
Sometimes, all the reasoning, thinking, planning, and pondering in the world doesn't get you anywhere. In fact, for the consistent thinkers and problem solvers out there, it's often that having too much time in your head leads to more struggle than letting it go. Yes, some things can be solved with thinking, but when the situation becomes very difficult, usually just from the heart, the emotions, and the grains of sand that are going to get you through. Your mind can become a tyrant, and you should be aware of this. When you feel like your own thoughts are dragging you down and can't stop the incessant thinking and worrying about the past, present and/or future, it's time to get out of your mind for a short time and enter your body. Lift some weights, go for a run, or walk. The mind and body are much more interconnected than most people think - especially when it comes to emotions and fears ((International Journal of Psychoanalysis: Emotional Processes: The Mind-Body Connection)) and doing something good for the body often benefits an unsettled mind.
7. Ruthlessly Forgive Yourself
One of the worst things you can do when things get tough is to come down on yourself. All these external and internal conflicts, and the more you take on yourself for what they are, the more difficult and traumatic episodes when you will inevitably break. Many people are much harder on themselves than on other people, and in order to keep going through tough times, you have to be empathetic to yourself, just like you would with your best friend. Wrong? Forgive. Do you still give yourself a hard time? Forgive. Still pissed off over the little things “even though we talked about it”? Forgive. Hard times are much easier to get through, When you are at peace with yourself. You will be amazed at how much less pressure you feel when this happens.
8. Take Small Steps
It is common for people to stumble in life because they simply take on too much at once. Whether it be too much ambition, unrealistic expectations from yourself or others, or some additional pitfalls, big steps can sometimes be too much to take. The truth about big steps is that they are rare, destructive, and hard to keep up without collapsing. Big steps - in real life - changing goals and dreams that you have can often be broken down into many small steps that are more manageable and that will get you to one place. If it gets particularly tough, it could be that you're just trying to do too much at once. Try taking smaller, more manageable steps and see if obstacles and difficulties become easier to navigate.
9. Use twenty seconds of insane courage
Everyone will agree that the courage we keep within ourselves is often limited and difficult to maintain for long periods of time. We tend to think that making big changes in our lives and getting out of a rut takes courage over a long period of time that we simply can't manage. The good news is that this is not true. Most of the tipping changes in your life - including pulling yourself out of a hole when things get tough - are small, bold decisions in short, precise moments. Quite often, using twenty seconds of insane courage when needed is enough to completely change the trajectory of our lives. Whether it's asking for that raise, deciding to go to the gym for the first time in months, or having the courage to break through your fears and ask someone to, most of them only take a few seconds of insane courage. Get up and walk to your boss's office, get a gym kit, pick up your phone or send a text - you just have to be brave for those few minutes, and then you can relax and let life unfold. Twenty seconds? You can do it easily.
10. Accept That Your Motivation Will Wane
One of the main reasons that people get frustrated and try to go through tough times is that they never expected their motivation to dive in. When we start a project or enter into a relationship or embrace something new and exciting in our lives, our motivation is high and we are in an excitement mindset. We start thinking about all the positive results that could come from these things. However, as time wears on, motivation levels will inevitably drop and you will start to focus on the negatives that are happening or the extra responsibilities you forgot to take into account. When this happens, you have two options: 1) You can put on your rose-colored glasses of the past and mistakenly remember how wonderful everything was, or 2) You can put on your realistic glasses, cope with the difficulties and continue to move forward, in which -something better. The true test of character happens when you hit immersion, motivation fades and you just don't feel like doing things. The secret is to understand that all this is temporary and that you do not need motivation in law. It's good when there is motivation, but the real test of character comes when motivation inevitably wanes. In those moments, will you continue?
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. Each of these ten ideas for how to keep going when things get tough are universal enough to be applied to almost any difficult situation you find yourself in. Life will present great difficulties. It's not that fear, but something in the arms. With these steps, you can navigate those rough waters a little easier.