“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional” – Roger Crawford

No matter whom you are, or what you do, change is inevitable. Every person has faced change at some point in their lifetime, whether it’s positive or negative. I want to highlight five steps that you can practice whenever you’re faced with any type of change in life, however, I’m going to be primarily focusing on negative change and steps you can take to stay optimistic during complex, difficult to understand times.

1. Family, Family & More Family: When faced with difficulty in life, the love and support from your family is unparalleled in terms of helping and supporting you in overcoming the road ahead. From the beginning, when God created man, He said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” so He created woman as a “help-meet, suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). Then, He blessed them and told them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth” (Genesis 1:28). In a world of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities.
2. Don’t Beat Yourself Up: Too much negativity on yourself can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. Constantly asking yourself, “What if?” or “Why me?” only belittles yourself and makes you feel worse. Instead, take control of your mind by exercising positive reinforcement and looking at life with a “glass half-full” approach. Be as supportive and loving to yourself as your loved ones are to you during this time.
3. Set Aside Time for Fitness & Exercise: We all have the capability of controlling our everyday thoughts, feelings, and emotions and daily exercise is critical in achieving this. Exercise increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. Therefore, go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension. An exercise practice that is highly recommended during stressful times is yoga. Yoga can be fundamentally essential during this psychological healing process. For beginners, I suggest you check out, ‘Yoga With Adriene.’ Her teaching method is laid-back and she makes it super easy to learn.

4. Remember What Makes You Happy (and Do It): Love taking your dog for a walk? Do you enjoy cooking dinner? Or maybe catching up with old friends? A big fan of (insert sports team)? Don’t forget about these during this difficult stage in your life. These elements of your life, albeit small in nature from the outside looking in, are imperative for your mental health and overall well-being. You must continue to practice them, even if it’s challenging at first. They’ll help focus your mind on another part of your life that you probably have been neglecting, which will refresh you mentally and physically.
5. Be Grateful For What You Have: When faced with tough times, many people take a step back and focus on everything they have to be grateful for. Admittedly, they express that they had been taking some of them for granted and that this period in their life has demonstrated to them just how important they really are. Rather than consistently focusing on the negative, take a few minutes and actually write down ten things about your life that you are grateful for.

In the end, change is a subjective experience; therefore, we decide how to view it, and experience it. Change strengthens a number of life skills that we need to survive. Going through change, particularly negative, teaches us patience, faith, endurance, how to extend ourselves to others and be more open to others where we may not have before, how to care for people, and even how to pray.

What steps do you take when you’re faced with challenging times?

Thank you for reading!

— Chris