Finding the Good in New and Challenging Situations

We’ve all been told that life is a challenge. It can throw you curve balls that you would have never imagined possible, but somehow we all manage to pull through. Although, not always in one piece.

As you move from one phase of your life to the next, you may be experiencing a number of changes:

  • Moving cities or even states.
  • A new job (maybe even your first full-time gig).
  • A boatload of new responsibilities.
  • New friends (or loss of them).

Young adults are inevitably going to trip and fall… A LOT. It’s easy to get discouraged from what may feel like constant letdowns, but remember: It’s okay. Follow these steps for finding the silver lining even in the roughest situations.

When the Going Gets Tough, Be Positive

The energy you put out there is the energy you’ll get back. If you are consistently focusing on the negativity, it will always find you. There will always be something gloomy in life, work, and school, but it is vital to not dwell on those things for too long before trying to find the positive. If you didn’t get the result on a test, you thought you would look for the positive instead of sitting around and moping about it. If something can’t be made positive, try to neutralize it instead.

Failure Can be Good

Our lives are made up of a series of mistakes and the lessons we learn from them. We aren’t born knowing how to walk, talk, read or write. By trial and error, we develop these skills and eventually can’t remember a time we didn’t know how to do them. Unfortunately, the difficulties we face get harder and harder as we get older.

When we make a mistake, big or small, the easiest thing to do is to talk down to ourselves or dwell on all the little clues we missed leading up to this unfortunate event. But remind yourself that we are always learning and growing. Of course, we are going to make a mistake at some point in our lives or another! Whether it’s during the first week on the job, or the first time you have to manage your own finances, you will probably make a mistake. And maybe make many of them. We don’t walk into the world and suddenly have everything figured out. The most important part is learning from those mistakes and ensuring they don’t happen again.

Making an error and failing is an essential piece to mastery. Embrace it.

Be Kind to Yourself

When something negative affects us, it is crucial to accept ownership of what happened, but to also quickly move into a more optimistic headspace. At the same time, it can be comfortable to turn to self-doubt and blame when we do something wrong. We’re only human; we are bound to mess up, but the important thing to remember is that we are not an accumulation of our failures.

Research has shown that talking positively to ourselves, especially when we are at our lowest, is key to overcoming our fears and vital to our mental health.

Some benefits of positive self-talk are:

1. Reduced Stress

Individuals who think optimistically are also more prone to positive self-talk and use more dynamic coping methods when faced with stressful situations and challenges. Positive self-talk helps you challenge the way you look at stressful situations by helping you understand that you will meet them to the best of your ability and that no matter what happens – you did the best you could. Tackling these situations with an ‘I can do this‘ mindset rather than a negative ‘This is too hard‘ opens up new ways of thinking and problem-solving.

 2. Increased Confidence and Resilience

Most of us have experienced the little voice in the back of our heads telling us that we aren’t good enough, but tackling life with a positive self-talk policy can help to boost your self-confidence. Above anyone else, you should be your biggest fan! Frequent positive affirmations will help you feel more confident when facing your fears and achieving your dreams. You instill yourself with the belief that the things you want are achievable, and when situations do arise, you are prepared to handle them head-on. 

3. Stronger Relationships

We all know how it feels to be around someone so bright, full of confidence in themselves, and loves to spread genuine joy. They ooze enthusiasm that bleeds into everyone around them. Positive energy is contagious, so if you bring out the best in yourself, you will also bring out the best in others. 

With all of the challenges college students face, finishing college may not be on the top of the priority list. GradGuard is here to help you find some positivity in what may be some unfortunate circumstances. Insurance provides peace of mind before the unexpected happens, such as having to withdraw from school for a covered medical reason or discovering your laptop was stolen. Renters and tuition insurance plans allow students to get back up when life knocks them down.

Takeaways

You are your biggest champion. At the end of a hard day, week or month, we hope that you are able to find the good. Positivity is infectious, and know you can do anything you set your mind to, even the really hard stuff.