5 ways to deal with adversity and stress

Does your world feel out of control right now? You are not on your own. We are living through difficult times.

Here are some tips on how you could find some peace within the chaos.

1. Could you reframe stress as a challenge? 
I know this is easier said than done - but it's possible. How you think about stress matters. This will determine how you process it. People who are able to think about stress more like a challenge and less like a threat have less depression and anxiety, far more energy, better work performance and life satisfaction. 

2. Adversity leads to personal growth
This is how resilience is born. We live in a world where everyone wants to be 'happy', suffer as little as possible and preferably find a quick fix if something does go wrong. Yet, studies show that people who experience adversity report better mental health and life satisfaction. The simple reason for this is that without adversity you cannot build any kind of resilience and personal growth makes us feel better, gives us purpose and meaning. So try not to fight the challenging times, but maybe find ways to move through them with more intention.

3. What could you focus on?
In harder times it's good to have a project, something to work towards and look forward to. Could it be that you want to save some money to go on some kind of holiday? Maybe you are in a job and would love to re-train and change career. Booking on that course could be the first step.

4. Know that the world is not going under
Looking back at history, life has always been uncertain. The only certainty is uncertainty. A lot of what’s going on now feels outside of our control, but we can try keep some perspective. We do have a lot of control. Sit down and really think about what control you have - in terms of your thoughts and your actions. Sure, you cannot change the interest rates, but there's a lot you can do.

5. Make the ordinary extraordinary
Find the good. Think about the things you do have and not the things you don't have. Yes, the cost of living is higher but we are all so rich in so many other ways. Be humble, be empathetic, be kind, gentle, grateful and generous. Now watch your energy, mental and physical health thrive.

These Mapology Guides will help you......