When all hope is lost

A woman overwhelmed by stress. [Getty Images]

Life is not fair and the sooner you accept that reality the sooner you will understand why certain things must happen and how to get through them. Lately, it feels like there is one problem after another.

From the global pandemic, we all went through that brought dramatic changes in our lives to personal traumas like the loss of a loved one, or unemployment, it seems like we are lurching from one crisis to another.

The unprecedented struggles and upheavals can feel overwhelming even to the strongest of us. You feel helpless, everyone around you is stressed out and complaining about something they are also going through and you find yourself flooded with a slew of emotions taking a toll on your mood, health and outlook. At times it feels as if life is out of control and there is nothing we can do.

And here is where the tough choices of working through the pain come in. As long as you are alive, there is no way to escape or avoid pain, sorrow, distress or some type of adversity in your life.

You must realise that. We all need to come to terms with the sobering fact that pain is a part of life and the only way you can come out of your situation stronger is through resilience. This is the ability to cope with whatever situations life throws at you.

Although everyone’s situation is different and we all deal with them our way, the more resilient you are the better you adapt to life-changing events and the more you will be able to tolerate the stress, sadness and anxiety that accompany the trauma or adversity. No matter the bad news, you can cope with those turbulent times and bounce back from the hardship.

This positive outlook works, but some of us who fall on the sensitive side find it more difficult to deal with emotional distress. This however is not a flaw.