If there’s one thing in life we have to learn, it’s how to overcome difficulties.
Sometimes we have control and sometimes we do not but one thing that we can always do is make our situation or situations better for ourselves.
Easier said than done sure… but you’ll need a little willpower, belief in yourself and a good support system.
If we look at how to overcome difficulties, it isn’t easy, but there are ways in which you can approach various situations.
You have to be willing to take action and so something about the situation in order to improve it. Nobody has ever sat still and overcome any adversity.
We need to develop personal strength if we are to be effective at overcoming difficult circumstances… we must start somewhere.
30 Ways On How To Overcome Difficulties
If you’ve found yourself crumbling under life’s difficulties, then we have some help on hand.
1. Realize That Difficulties Need To Be Dealt With
Being in denial will only cause you more problems. Ignoring your plight is not the best way on how to overcome difficulties. If you want to change a difficult situation then you have to understand that you do indeed have a difficult situation.
You’ve taken the first step and now you’re ready to tackle your challenges, but the good thing is you don’t have to do it alone.
You can start by…
- Setting aside time specifically for working toward improvement/s.
- Asking for help in getting to the root of your difficult situation.
Making time for your well-being is crucial. Some people may be able to accomplish things and improve on their own but if you’re too overwhelmed, it’s ok.
Having someone to motivate and hold you accountable can be extremely helpful and valuable. So, don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
2. Ask Yourself Why?
Why is your current situation or situations causing you difficulty? Is it in or out of your control?
If your situation is in your control…
- You can do something to change it.
- What needs to be done now?
If your situation is out of your control…
- You have to change your perspective and/or accept the situation as it is.
If you don’t know why then you won’t have an answer. There’s always an answer to your difficulties but they may not be the answers that you want to hear.
However, you do have control of your mind and yourself and that’s the most important thing.
3. Take Care Of Yourself
Unfortunately, life sometimes throws us a curveball and it may be difficult to deal with. However, in the midst of these difficulties, it’s easy to neglect your health and this can be problematic.
If you notice something wrong:
- Get help immediately.
- Make some important lifestyle changes.
- Forget about what’s not important.
You are important and although external circumstances can be unbearable, remember that you can overcome anything. Making necessary lifestyle changes and neglecting things that only bring harm to you can and will improve your situation.
4. Don’t Neglect Your Loved Ones
When you’re going through a storm it’s easy to forget about the well-being of others around because you’re so wrapped up in yourself. However, you never want to shut out those close to you.
Family and friends are important for comforting you and vice versa. Our support system includes people that bring us comfort and positivity. We can also be the support system for someone else experiencing difficulties.
Although being selfish can be a good thing sometimes, but nobody wants to struggle alone.
5. Be Disciplined
Overcoming difficulties takes commitment and discipline. If we lose control in the middle of a chaotic situation, we end up prolonging the pain.
How can we become more disciplined?
- Decide that you want to change and to be happy.
- Involve others and inform them of your situation so they can hold you accountable.
- Create a daily routine and stick with it!
6. Develop Structure
Structure in your life is absolutely necessary and vital to well-being. Just imagine if we had no structure in our society… it would be a disaster!
With structure we create habits. Good habits allow us to overcome negative situations that we face on a daily basis.
7. Manage Your Stress
Stress comes with difficulty and excessive stress is detrimental to your health and your life. If you’re too stressed to manage your life, then you’re in trouble.
Fortunately for you, there are ways to manage stress…
- Meditate.
- Have a good support system.
- Eat well.
- Pursue what makes you happy.
Facing difficulties with no leisure or relaxation time is foolish. You need to be able to give your mind and body time to recover in order to focus on how to overcome difficulties in a healthy way.
When you’re burnt out from stress, you’ve got to take care of it immediately.
8. Leave Your Current Situation
Sometimes you have no choice but to leave your current situation. There’s nothing wrong with going somewhere else if where you’re at isn’t working for you.
We are all different and our needs are different.
9. Quit What You’re Doing
If you’re not happy at a job or you just don’t like your routine… then change it up. Quitting is not always bad if you have no interest in moving forward.
10. Be Productive
The worst thing to do if you are trying to work out how to overcome difficulties is to do nothing at all. If you’re somewhat productive at least you’re on your way to where you want to be.
It’s really important to have some type of vision when it comes to how to overcome difficulties.
11. Do Something That Gives You A Sense Of Fulfillment
We all have something that we love to do. Fulfillment is found by doing something that makes us feel good. Something important that we can become a part of is satisfying.
If you don’t have a hobby, maybe its time to look for something that you enjoy doing.
12. Have a plan
We can often fail at how to overcome difficulties because we have not planned properly. Have an idea of where you’d like to be in life. Even the things out of your control can be better managed with good planning.
Remember that no big business succeeds without a plan.
13. Join a Support Group
This may sound unpopular but a group of people who are going through difficulties themselves can be a great comfort for you, especially when you are talking about how to overcome difficulties.
You can find one nearly anywhere, whether it be a specific group or even a church.
14. Get New Friends
You can’t get new family (Although you can choose your company) but you can get new friends. Sometimes you have to let certain people in your life go.
It’s just a normal part of life. They may be holding you back and causing more headache than necessary. Your health is important.
15. Work On Becoming A Better Person
We find out who a person really is when they are faced with difficulty. Often times we are experiencing unnecessary difficulty because our attitudes are preventing us from overcoming tough situations. You’d be surprised how a different mindset could change everything.
16. Don’t Allow Yourself to Get Overwhelmed
There’s nothing wrong with saying no to something. Unnecessary stress and responsibility can contribute to greater difficulties in life.
You do what you can and what allows you to maintain your inner strength as a person. Take it back a notch and start with the essentials.
17. Don’t Try To Please Others
If your boss requires something of you, then, by all means, do your best work. However, we often run into people who require too much from us.
Many times, these people are not concerned with our well-being. In this case, it’s ok to walk away. If something doesn’t seem right, then you only have to please yourself with the right decisions. You’ll thank yourself later on.
18. Stick To Your Beliefs
Overcoming difficulty is challenging enough. You know what is right and wrong. Don’t let any circumstance/s or person pull you away from your beliefs (Unless you see a better way to do/think about something).
The only wrong thing is if you don’t feel right about something.
Trust yourself!
19. Decide Who You Want To Be
Often times we are defeated by difficulty because we don’t yet know enough about ourselves. Knowing ourselves is a powerful weapon against adversity.
We become more confident with our situations when we understand what we’re capable of when it comes to personal strength.
20. Have Purpose For Everything That You Do
Purpose creates personal strength. Purpose prevents us from wasting time. Purpose is crucial to overcoming difficulties in life.
Make the decision to do things with purpose because you owe it to yourself. When you have purpose, you can rest assured that you’re doing the best you can.
21. Understand That Your Experiences Are Meant To Better You
Nothing we experience is wasted because everything is a learning experience. We will often find that the things we go through are our greatest teacher in life. Without our struggles, we lack a personal strength that is developed over time.
Learning is a part of life that we must experience. This is very important when it comes to how to overcome difficulties.
22. Learn
Learning is one of the most powerful things we can do. If you want to overcome something, then learn what you need to do in order to overcome it.
Life’s lessons are incredibly valuable, and you’ll learn things that no book or computer can teach you. Make it a priority to learn through any and all circumstances. You’ll soon see how learning is an amazing resource.
Also, remember one is never too old to learn.
23. Believe in Yourself
Many people fail at overcoming difficulties in life because they don’t believe in themselves. A lack of belief in oneself is one of the biggest reasons for unhappiness and regret.
The more you believe in yourself is the more confidence and power you’ll have. If you lack belief, you’ll never overcome anything that gets in your way.
You can accomplish great things if you’d just believe in yourself! Don’t let your mind tell you otherwise.
24. Help Someone Who is Worse Off Than You
Helping others who are worse off than you put things into perspective. You might think… well, my situation may not be as bad as I’ve made it out to be.
Now, maybe your situation is bad but helping someone else to get through something is incredibly satisfying. We are all in this together and nobody wants to fight life alone.
Just be someone who can be a role model and present help in times of need.
25. Watch Your Words
The tongue can be responsible for life and death. Don’t ruin your chances of overcoming all obstacles by speaking negativity.
Speak positive words and you’ll start to believe that what you’re saying is absolutely true. This is an important step if you want to overcome a difficult situation.
Make time daily to speak to your situation and you’ll soon realize that it’s easier to overcome difficulty than you thought.
26. Remember That Nothing Lasts Forever
Everything comes to an end at some point. Struggles come and go but if you have a good handle on your life and situation/s, you’ll be affected by difficulties less often.
We go through seasons in life, but these situations do not define us by any means. Move along and do what’s important while leaving the past behind you. You’ll help yourself to be mentally better and eliminate unnecessary stress.
27. Be An Example
Sometimes we become selfish when dealing with difficulty because we don’t realize that we all need to be an example to someone else.
A bad situation can cause someone to become bitter and a not so desirable person to be around. Other people see the decisions we make and the things we say.
If you want to become better at handling difficulty, learn to be a good person and things will be less bumpy along the way.
28. Be Thankful
One of the best things we can do to overcome a difficult mindset is to be thankful. When we show gratitude, we start to have a better outlook on life. We start to see the positive rather than the negative.
When we are thankful, we get energy that allows us to see the importance in life. To be thankful is one of our greatest gifts in life.
The universe gives back to us when we appreciate our existence and reach out to help others.
How do you show gratitude?
- Meditate/pray daily.
- Treat yourself and your health with respect.
- Write down the things you’re thankful for.
29. Continue to Overcome
The fight doesn’t end when you’ve overcome something. Life throws difficulties at us but we must maintain composure and handle them accordingly. Never let them get out of your control.
You Can Overcome Your Difficulties
Difficulties will come and go. They’re a natural part of our existence but we don’t have to let them hold us back in any way. When we lose control of our situations, we lose control of our lives.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to better ourselves and our situations when it comes to how to overcome difficulties.
We may never be able to overcome a tough situation on our own and that is why it’s important to have people that care near to you. Any support system is a good one as long as it’s positive. Seek help if things get to become too much out of your control.
It’s easy to get discouraged but rather than wallow in your problems, you’d be better served to tackle them strategically. Be smart and take the necessary steps to get yourself back to normal.
30. Never Give Up
The last and one of the most important keys to how to overcome difficulties is to never… and I repeat NEVER…give up!
Don’t succumb to your circumstances because the moment you give up is the moment you surrender your life. Giving up is not an option for anyone as we all have special purposes.
A difficulty is an external problem but as long as you are alive you have the ability to be an OVERCOMER.
Your post has really blessed me. I was feeling down emotionally before reading your post, but while reading I became inspired and started feeling better.
I think I need to bookmark your page and share with some of my friends that are undergoing various challenges and are down emotionally because of various difficulties in their lives.
I am sure they would find this very helpful. Thanks once again, I hope to read more of your subsequent posts
Thank you for your kind comment Dapoach and I hope your friends also stop by and comment.
I absolutely love this insightful article because it is full of great information. This is fascinating and intriguing to me and you did an excellent job of providing education and resources.
The article was well written and easy to understand. You have shared lovely tips which I see as an eye-opener.
Thanks for sharing
Awesome Information..!
What an incredible blog post!I really love the way you outlined your points on how to overcome difficulties. Though as most people do say ‘it’s easier said than done’ but I go with your point that ‘willpower’ is actually needed. I must say this is an eye opener. I cannot help but agree with everything that you had written.This is the most extensive article i have ever read. Thanks for the in-depth review.
Thanks for your feedback Michael and glad you enjoyed the read.
Dear Michel,
May I not congratulate you on your persistence and hard work in creating this helpful guide. Any person who devotes that much time must of necessity make discoveries of great value to others.
I got great insights from your article and your article certainly made me think more on the subject. All I need to do is implement what I learned from your article. You not only discussed the problem but you have provided with the solutions which is helpful. Great advice!
I am bookmarking your post for future reference. Your post is a must read and I am going to share it with my friends.
Much Success!
Paul
Thank you for your kind words Paul.
This is a timely and incredible post. I really love the way you outlined your points. Sometimes we can’t afford to deal with some difficult situations ourselves but need to share it with others we can trust.
Though as most people do say ‘it’s easier said than done’ but I go with your point that ‘willpower’ is actually needed. I must say this is an eye opener. I agree with everything that you have written. Thanks for sharing this at this point in time.
Nice article there. So full of informative and educational points on how to overcome difficulties.
I am sure many will find it useful in other to solve their own difficulties, including myself.
I like the part in the article that says work on becoming a better person and being a better person can make you a role model anywhere. Thanks for publishing this article.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting Ajibola. Hope that this information helped you in some way.
Difficulties are a big part of everyone life and learning to deal with difficulties is very important.
These tips are wonderful and all-encompassing. Following this advice will be deeply beneficial and help in solving any problem that arises in your everyday life.
Most important is not cutting away your family and friends during any difficulty.
Thanks for sharing.
You are so right Aweda. Family and friends are your lifeline.
What a great list you have comprised, extensive and comprehensive. My favorites are:
Number 17): – Don’t try to please others- I do think that all of us are guilty of these at times, myself included. It colors our thinking and we don’t choose the right path. It takes courage to thread our own path and not live other people’s dreams for them.
Number 28) It does us good to be grateful because again most of us don’t realize how much we have until it’s gone.
Number 30) I think this is the most important as life does throw us curveballs and most of us are fighting the daily battle called life.
Keep up the good work.
Dave
Thank you Dave and glad you enjoyed the article.
This is one of the most motivating articles I have read for a long time.
Life can throw difficulties at us at times but that’s not the end of life. Giving up is not an option. We shall not relent or retreat to our old way of life. At times some challenges build us to be stronger than we use to be.
You are so right Kenechi – our failures and disappointments only make us stronger people in the end.
Lovely! I’m certain this will go a long way to help a lot of people. Life can be so difficult sometimes, but the way we tackle those difficult situations matters a lot, either we allow it to weigh us down or stay strong an deal with it. I love the simplicity at which you write, I should bookmark this page right away.
Thanks.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it.
Hi,
This is an excellent article . It is easy to lose focus and start doubting your mission as an entrepreneur . Anytime you feel like you are discouraged , don’t give in . Go back to your roots and re-think on why you started the business at the first place . Write down your goals and put them on the wall and mediate on it . Thanks for sharing this informative article with us .
Thanks for the comment. I tried to relate this article on how to overcome difficulties in all parts of life, and even the entrepreneur has difficulties to contend with, especially being on his own so much.
Hi,
Absolutely loved your post.
You have mentioned some great ways which if practiced can certainly help anyone overcome a difficult situation. Number 26 & 28 are my favorites as they have helped me overcome many difficult situations. Remembering that nothing lasts forever and being thankful gives you the inner strength that changes your attitude regarding the difficult situation in a positive way.
Nice read. Looking forward to your future posts.
Thank you Nick and yes it is very important to be thankful and grateful for what you have.
Thanks the article. People today are generally pessimistic and most times not for far fetched reasons.
This article is timely for me because I am facing a few difficulties in life. From this article I have learned one thing which is to tackle difficulties, you would have to tackle yourself first. You’ll have to be at peace with your entire surrounding and let the problem be one problem which is the difficulty. You can’t tackle problems by making them give you other problems such as panic attacks and others.
Thanks again
Thanks for stopping by and hope this has helped you in some small way.
Hi Michel,
Have you ever thought of being a problem solver?
If not-you think it’s a problem solver. We are always resolving various problems. What to market today wear a dress, which will give status on Facebook – all these are small problems. We do these solutions every day. Outside of these, sometimes our big problems have to be solved.
There are so many successful leaders, entrepreneurs or such people in the world – they all are really amazing solvers; when someone does not see any solution, they solve it properly. Do whatever they think is hard to do.
Meditation is a very effective exercise to calm the mind away from stress. A study by Carnegie Mellon University has shown that meditation for 25 minutes in three minutes helps overcome frustration and anxiety.
Keep yourself busy to keep away from the frustration head. Do something that keeps your brain and hands busy, such as playing games or creating a handicraft.
Loneliness alone can damage mental health as well as cardiovascular disease. Even if you do not get a heart attack, the fear of loss is always there. So do not sit in a lonely house and go out with friends. But in this case, the real friends must be aware of the elections. Thank you for this awesome post.
Thank you for your comprehensive comment.