Recovering from Adversity

When adversity strikes, whether it be loss of your job, an illness, a natural disaster or when you take a big hit that really knocks you off your feet for a while, how fast you get up again depends on a number of things such as: 

- How good your support network is.
- How solid your self-esteem is.
- The extent to which you believe that you can control your own destiny.
- Your experiences of overcoming adversity in the past.

If you want to shorten the time it takes to get back on your feet, try this:

- Ask yourself how it will look when you no longer have your
current problems.
- Spend time visualising yourself in that picture and imagining
how you'll feel.
- Do it over and over, day after day, week after week.
- List your strengths and past accomplishments and add to
that list on a daily basis.

At the same time:

- Set and prioritise some immediate, short-term goals to
improve your situation.
- Write a detailed plan of action for the top three, including
day and time.

Once you've accomplished a few short-term goals, you may feel ready to do some long-term visioning and goal-setting. 

Finally - and this is important - no matter how much you've lost, take time to help someone else who is struggling. Even the worst adversity can be used to learn and grow. 

Recovering from Adversity