The importance of mindset during hard times

Welcome

Here you'll find my infrequent musings and reflections on all things that impact our beliefs and potential.

4 May 2021

Are you facing a challenge or going through a hard time? Know this: you can get through tough times AND maintain a positive outlook throughout. When you get in better touch with yourself and understand the ups and downs of life, it’s so much easier to keep going.

When you believe in yourself, the world is your oyster. Your first step is to believe that you're capable of having a positive outlook. This belief will help nip in the bud those negative thoughts that can plague your thinking during tough times.

The ups and downs of life

Life’s made up of many ups and downs. When things are going great, we hope it’s going to last forever. When things aren't going so well, it can be hard to imagine life ever getting better again.

If you're going through a hard time, it's important to take time to feel your feelings and where needed, grieve. Your feelings are messengers. Accept them for what they are. Notice inside you where you feel the feeling. Name the emotion and let it go.

No one expects you to bounce back immediately, so check the expectations you are putting on yourself too. As hard (and sometimes impossible) as it might feel right now, you can, and will, have good times again.

When the time is right – and only when the time is right for you (it’s important you don’t try and rush things before you’re ready) – start working towards happier times and you'll soon notice you’re experiencing more ‘ups’ in life. Once you’re ready and open to this, you'll be well on your way to a positive outlook.

Believing in yourself

This is critical. Believing in yourself is crucial to leading a happy life. Some may say it's trite nonsense to say things like: "If you can dream it, you can do it," but actually, the sentiment is true. Don't put limits on yourself. If something is possible, you can achieve it with a strong driving force. Things may not just land in your lap, but with consistent action and effort, you’d be surprised at what is possible.

During hard times, you might not believe that you're capable of moving beyond the situation. But this is the time when you need to muster up your strength and take a good look at yourself. Look at the things you’ve achieved in the past. Think about how you made these happen. And if you’re in the depths of despair and struggling to remind yourself of your achievements, then ask other people. Ask your friends and family what they remember you achieving at different stages of your life. Discover your inner strength from within and from others, and learn to trust and rely on it.

Using affirmations

These can be a bit ‘woo’ for some, but personally I love them. Affirmations are a great way to stay positive if you open yourself up to them. You can use short, positive statements to communicate with your unconscious mind. When you repeat things over and over you literally rewire your brain. Such is the power of neuroplasticity. This happens whether what we repeat to ourselves is negative or positive. So you can see why it’s better to tell yourself positive affirmations.

Write your own affirmations or find a book or website with affirmations relevant to your situation. It's a great way to remind yourself of your strength and good qualities. Practice every day to get the best results. You might feel a bit silly when you first start saying these things to yourself, often while looking in the mirror. Such is the programming we’ve learnt or been modelled as we’ve grown over the years. But honestly, get past this feeling and embrace the possibilities over the coming days and weeks as you start believing the good things you tell yourself. You won’t look back.

Getting to know your true self

Both positive and negative events bring you opportunities to figure out who you really are and find your true self. Trying times are challenges, and if you're set up with a positive attitude, you can discover more about yourself and what you’re really capable of.

Difficult times highlight what you really value. Look for the deeper meaning of it all, and always search for the silver lining. Even the toughest and most depressing situations can be opportunities for learning, as long as you open yourself to see the lesson.

A learning mindset for the future

Use the knowledge from your difficult times to help guide you through future obstacles. And there will be some. That’s life, right?

But instead of looking back and dwelling on the negative, hone your focus on life in the present, and enjoy it for what it is. Know you have overcome and will overcome any challenges and keep hold of your positive mindset and build the happiness you deserve.

Share this post:

Créer une ligne verticale en HTML