To be strong during a tough time do these 7 things.

We are living in a period of incredible transition.

Covid19 tossed many lives into disarray but offered incredible opportunities for growth.

Many of those opportunities get lost in a sea of uncertainty as millions of people are impacted by unemployment.

In addition, social unrest reached a fevered pitch in response to the George Floyd incident.

It would be easy to assume the world is falling apart but subscribing to that mindset can be hazardous to our health.

Here are 7 ways to get back on track during troubling times:

Acceptance

Like it or not, we are immersed in a period of massive transition.

Accepting that reality and focusing on everything you can control is imperative.

Outside events in a tumultuous world can drive you insane, especially if you concentrate on social media and the news. 

There is a circus of disingenuous muscle flexing from people that cannot resist attention at the expense of sensitive issues.

Focusing on positive change allows me to accept the situation and gravitate away from misplaced expectations that can easily attempt to dominate our thinking.

I have chosen to be happy and make sure my remarkable group of diverse friends can find happiness as well. We all deserve it.

Temporary

It is easy to get the impressive that current events will linger indefinitely.

That bumpy periods will last at the expense of more prosperous times.

At the same time, it is easy to assume periods of prosperity will be permanent.

One thing is for sure, life is constantly changing, and so is our good fortune.

Focusing on gratitude and making happiness a daily decision allows me to mitigate the madness.

Savoring each day is incredibly helpful in appreciating how temporary everything is.

Forward steps

Perseverance is a remarkable attribute and extraordinarily successful people excel at it.

We live in a world of immediate gratification and entitlement. Many people are selfish and expect instant results. Very few people have the patience and persistence to make big dreams a reality.

Adversity is inevitable.

Learning to cope with difficult times and stay focused on creating a better reality can help obviate the effects of uncertainty.

To finesse around adversity, we need to move forward, one step at a time.

That takes patience, persistence, and perseverance. 

Positivity

Each day we can establish a positive perspective that can energize every decision we make.

I know sometimes disappointing news and frustration starts to seep in and can decimate a great attitude. 

What can we do? Practice self-awareness.

Recognize the negative momentum and stop it immediately.

Problems never end. They key, learning to deal with them in a productive way. 

Believe me, this takes practice. We all slip.

Waiting for a reason to be positive is an effort in futility.

Creating a reason to be positive provides you with complete control over recalibrating our attitude.

Focus

When unpleasant news starts to surface its easy to create massive impediments in our mind.

I frequently see people loose focus and turn toward instant solutions that seldom translate well "long term".

When something is broken, we often forget to focus on putting the pieces back together, one piece at a time.

When we focus on a long-term strategy, we appreciate the importance of patience and tenacity.

Small steps and consistency are the only way to build strong foundations that can support super-sized dreams.

Appreciation

Many people live in a constant state of anticipation of aspiring for something they don't have.

More money. Better jobs. Better love life.

When we defer happiness predicated on acquisition of something better, we forfeit the ability to be happy today.

Learning to appreciate the journey is essential for recognizing the long-term struggles that coincide with success.

The sacrifice is normally too much for many people to shoulder so they slip back into postponing joy until something is "obtained". That something may never come, so why put off being satisfied?

I prefer to set aside time each day to focus on being present and allowing myself to be happy in the moment.

Smile and be grateful.

Self-care

Ignoring our feelings or refusing to talk about how we feel with a trusted friend is detrimental to our wellbeing.

Suppressing anger and living with resentment is not helpful either.

Once we ease into a negative state of mind it can be challenging to put our self-back in a positive place.

Mental and physical wellbeing are the answer for me.

Moving our bodies and exercising our minds is incredibly helpful toward mitigating the effects of stress and anxiety.

In addition, learning to express our feelings and talk about our troubles is important for working through complicated issues.

I am a big believer in self-care as a gateway to better cope with uncertainty. In fact, it is the first of my four tenets of equanimity.

Sum it up

The key is using your experiences to grow, inch by inch. When you apply what you are learning to your future choices and actions, you move forward not backward. What helps you stay motivated when you are stressed and struggling?

Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success. Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn!