10 Tips for Coping with a Life Challenge

10 Tips for Coping with a Life Challenge

A life challenge can be stressful—whether it’s due to illness, job loss, financial worries, or the death of a loved one or of a marriage.

If you’re facing a difficult time, consider the following.

1. Step up your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need self-care now more than ever.

2. Focus on what you want to see happen and less on what you don’t want. “Flip your mental switch” by looking at what’s right, instead of what’s gone wrong, to help you manifest the best outcome possible.

3. Seek the gifts within. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of hope and happiness by keeping yourself open to “seeing the gifts within” that can come about in even the greatest of tragedies if open up to them.

4. Look for and accept support. Since your situation may affect your family as well, it may be better to look outside the normal support of family or friends for skilled professionals and support groups.

5. Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills? How did those influence—positively or negatively—your ability to overcome the challenge?  Who can best help you in areas you are weakest?

6. Reassure (or avoid) those who are threatened by, or not able to cope with, the change.  Surround yourself with people who will lift you up, guide you, and support you.

7. Engage your hindsight. What went wrong, or right on the journey? What could you have done differently?  What worked really well?

8. Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.” Find appreciation for what is by adopting an “attitude of gratitude.”

9. Create your own rite of passage as you become the new you. Ceremony and ritual help with all the changes and you get to write the new script!

10. Keep things in perspective. Or try on a new perspective. Don’t get stuck. Remember, the only constant is change.