Everyone goes through hard times at some point in their life. Some people choose to admit this fact, while others attempt to hide the trials they face.
Regardless of the struggles that anyone goes through at any moment in life, it can be challenging to see that difficult moments are good things to have happen. We all tend to get caught up in the circumstances of the moment.
Uncertain times can make us feel like we’re alienated from the closest people in our lives. During moments of extreme hardship, it might even feel like you are unable to experience happiness as others do.
No matter what your hardship happens to be at this moment, it is essential to remember that what you’re managing right now will help you to grow in the future. Instead of taking the approach that “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger,” look for these specific outcomes to take place in your life.
1. Support Network Creation
It is nice to have surface-level friendships since they’re so easy to form, but having a friend that sticks by your side through the roughest parts of your life is a support you can rely upon during those moments. These people are willing to dig deeper into your life to provide meaningful advice that you can use – even if what they say isn’t what you want to hear at that moment.
2. Self-Learning
Overcoming difficulties becomes more comfortable when you know more about your overall capabilities. The hardships in life will push you to your limit, but this action also lets you see what you can accomplish. When the outside world feels uncertain, then we reflect on who we are internally because we’re in a search for answers.
When the day isn’t going your way, then the hardship pushes you to re-evaluate the things you really want in life. You can see a new path on how to get there, or it can be a way to decide what matters to you.
3. Higher Levels of Gratefulness
We all tend to miss things more when they get taken away from us. This emotion can get stuck at the forefront of the mind sometimes, causing you to feel like there’s nothing left to grasp onto at the end of the day. If you get to a place in life where it feels like you’ve lost access to everything that makes you feel happy or positive, then it can feel like you’ve lost hope.
There’s a song called “The Letter” that describes this feeling all too well. “And when your hand starts to slip, and when you’re losing your grip, and when you know your hope is gone, you’re not the only one holding on.”
Gratefulness shifts your vision when you’re in the middle of a hardship. Look for small things that bring you joy, like the smell of fresh air in the morning. Reward yourself with a cup of coffee from your favorite store instead of the usual homebrew. These small steps will lead to bigger ones in the future.
4. It Teaches Resiliency
People who are used to winning all of the time struggle when they suddenly lose for one primary reason: they’re not used to the experience. If you find yourself in hardship more often than not, then it teaches you to appreciate the moments more when you do find times of success.
The learning experiences you have when you’re facing the toughest trials of your life will give you knowledge to use and share with others. You can become tough as nails, taking on trouble head-on to come out on the other side even stronger than before.
5. Look for Insights
Adversity is a fantastic instructor. When hardships come your way, then you have an opportunity to gain valuable insights into your life. It is an opportunity to learn from the mistakes you may have made so that you don’t repeat them in the future. You’ll discover that it is just as important sometimes to learn what not to do instead of trying to find the perfect way to accomplish a task.
6. Coping Skills
Hardships require us to deal with challenging emotions. Some people blame others because it feels like a shift in responsibility can ease their pain. If you choose to run away from your problems, then what happens when you run out of energy and slow down? Your troubles will catch up with you again.
Adversity gives you a chance to embrace life’s challenges without requiring multiple sacrifices to see results. You can discover ways to process the difficult emotions that flood your mind, allowing you to use that energy as fuel to accomplish something incredible.
7. Persistence
If you want to overcome hardships in your life, then you must commit to finding a path that moves forward. You must approach this solution with determination and motivation. This approach will help you to create a mindset where adversity is an equation you can solve instead of being something you must passively accept.
Should We Seek Out Hardship?
Life is full of ups and downs. You don’t need to seek out moments of hardship because they are going to come your way eventually.
When you do encounter some tough times, try to keep your vision on the long-term picture. If you get caught up in the daily struggles and that is all you can see, then it becomes much easier to start losing hope.
Hardships are a natural part of life. They are not a reflection of who you are, but you can define your character by how you choose to respond to them when they arrive.
