Dealing with Adversity

What creates adversity in one person’s life is not necessarily the same for another – yet when we are in adversity, the feelings of helplessness, grief and anger are universal. We feel like victims. And adversity is one of those inevitables in life – each of us will experience unexpected things going wrong that seem to shake the foundations of our world from time to time. It can be hard to see a clear way through when we feel so disempowered and stuck in adversity, but there is light at the end of the tunnel if we can find the tools to help us move through it. WHAT IS BEING IN ADVERSITY? We might feel like we are in adversity when something goes wrong that is outside of our control. An unexpected event or problem happens ‘to us’ that seems to come from an external source, rather than one we feel we have a choice about. What causes us to feel in adversity can vary significantly from person to person, and the intensity of it can vary greatly too. Adversity can leave us feeling overwhelmed, distraught, or can actually feel like it has turned our world upside down and inside out – never to be the same again. Whatever the cause, we can fall victim to the sense of helplessness the situation creates, and our grief and anger may make it hard to see that there could be a way forward – let alone that we might be able to respond in a way that could find a positive within all the pain. As adversity usually strikes when we least expect it, and we will all experience it at different points in our lives, how can we find a way to move through it? EMPOWERING BELIEFS You may already have some beliefs that can help armour you against adversity. A saying that resonated with you in the past could help open a window for you to start reframing the challenge of your adversity. Something like “What doesn’t break me makes me stronger” or “I am always bigger than any problem” or “There’s a reason for everything”… and whilst you may not have appreciated the importance of it originally, finding a belief that instinctively empowers you can start undoing the feeling of helplessness that has you trapped. Starting to look for help is all it can take to begin turning the tide that feels against you. MOVING THROUGH ADVERSITY A solution may not always be immediately obvious or acceptable, but finding the strength to start searching for one can be half the battle in overcoming adversity. In this podcast Chris and Sam share three questions that can help you fortify yourself and take a more empowered look at the adversity you are facing. Whilst you can’t make the challenge disappear, you can claim back control and find a way to move through it that will ultimately leave you stronger, better prepared to face adversity in the future and hopefully have left a positive gift in its wake too. If you are struggling with adversity, you might also want to check out Sally’s website – Living With Heart – that takes a really honest and heartfelt look at overcoming and healing from life-altering adversity. A big thanks to Henry for emailing us this great topic suggestion too! Read more: http://www.actionpodcast.com/2012/05/in-adversity-4376/#ixzz1vh99ZU5W Under Creative Commons License: Attribution