Advice for Getting Through Life’s Pitstops
Life is a journey filled with ups and downs. Though you enjoy those happy times, it’s the down times that can be hard to deal with. Often life throws obstacles in the way that causes people to stop, take a moment, reevaluate, and grow from. When these pitstops are longer than expected or more difficult than you might have imagined, it can make it hard to get through and cause you to turn to vices, act outside of yourself, and even result in mental illness. Though you can’t avoid rough patches in life, learning how to cope when times are rough can make getting through the storm a lot easier
Let Go of All Vices
For some, when life hits hard, masking the pain is the best solution. There are a lot of vices, or negative habits people turn to get away from what’s really going on. Some people choose to eat, gamble, use drugs, or drink alcohol. The high they receive from these vices temporarily allows them to forget about their pain. The only problem with this solution is, most vices are dangerous, can lead to addiction, ruin relationships, and even end your life.
The best thing you can do is learn to rely on faith, yourself, and other positive resources when you’re going through a tough time. You also need to kick back habits. Whether this means changing your lifestyle, removing negative influences from your life, or entering a faith based rehab to stop using drugs or alcohol, you should be taking steps towards improving your life – not putting it at risk
Control What You Can
One thing that stresses people out when trying to deal with difficult times is trying to control everything. Although there may be aspects of your pitstop that you can control, there are some you can’t. Trying to control things that are out of your hands, instead of going with the flow, only leads to more disappointment and stress. However, getting proactive about what you can change for the better can improve your mood and boost your spirits even in hard times.
Let’s say you were fired from your job due to loss of funding. Though it may be stressful to learn you’ve lost your job, this isn’t something you can control. What you do have some control over is finding a new job. While unemployed be proactive in finding another job. Whether this means filling out online applications, going to store to store handing out resumes, or locating potential employers through social media, do what you need to do to obtain employment.
Build Your Faith
When things in life are tough the one place you should be able to turn for peace is your faith. Your religion often gives you the strength to press on through trying times. It is during these times that you should lean to your faith even more. Having the understanding that everything in life happens for a reason and that ultimately it will work out for the greater good can give you hope to get through whatever you’re dealing with right now. The help of scriptures, the support of other believers, and your continued devotion can see you through to brighter days.
No one said life would be easy all the time, but when the going gets tough, it’s time to dig a bit deeper and look at yourself and to your faith to get through. Remember to let go of negative outlets, influences, and behaviors, be proactive about what you can control, and be faithful about the things you can’t. In doing so, you’ll find that getting through some of life’s pitstops is not as hard as it once seemed.
