How to Deal with a Difficult Situation

At some point in your life you will find yourself involved in awkward moments or difficult situations. These moments can range from feeling embarrassment to divorce or dealing with the death of a loved one. Your difficult situation may be related to your finances, your marriage, your children or your job. However, there are steps and actions you can take to handle any difficult situation that life may bring.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience
• Understanding
• Forgiveness
• Love

1. Realize that your difficult situation is all in how you perceive it. What may seem difficult now will not seem difficult later. What may seem difficult to you may not be difficult to others.
2. Realize you have a choice in how you handle your difficult situations. You can choose to be positive or you can choose to be negative. Try to find the find the positive in every situation that life may bring.
3. Be resourceful. Never give up or give in when faced with a challenge. Find out as much information as you can about your situation whether that means talking to someone who has been through it or looking it up in the yellow pages or on the internet to find resources to help you get through the situation.
4. Deal with your emotions. In any and every situation that you encounter you will have emotional responses. Sometimes you may feel hurt, sad, disappointment, anger, frustration, shame or loneliness. You need to let yourself feel the emotions. Cry when you need to cry. Punch a pillow, yell, scream, roll around on the floor and have a temper tantrum. Let the emotions pass through you like a current and move on.
5. Don't let the situation change you as person unless the change is positive. We all will find that difficult situations help us to grow as individuals. Don't let the situation make you blame other people and harbor resentment or damage your self esteem.
6. Have a sense of humor and learn to laugh at your situation or mistakes no matter how bad they are. Laughter is like medicine and sometimes it can be contagious. Write a journal and record your feelings. Find a peaceful outlet such as a long walk, taking deep breaths, listening to your favorite music or watching a good movie.
7. Always keep a good support system. The support system can consist of friends or family or simply a group of people that are going through the same difficult situation. Remember to surround yourself with love and love yourself no matter what situation occurs.

Tips & Warnings

• If you continue to find yourself in a pattern of bad situations, it could be the choices that you are making in life. Seek a counselor to help you make better choices and realize negative trends and patterns in your life.
• Remain solution oriented. Look at the solution of your situation instead of staying focused on the problem.
• Avoid talking to the wrong people about your situation. Some people may give you bad advice or could make the situation worse.