How do you adapt to different situations?

If there is one certainty in life, it is at times we will all have to go through change and adapt to challenging situations. As a life coach, a question clients ask is “how do you adapt and overcome a difficult situation?”

There are many situations people can find themselves in that can be challenging to manage but with the right tools and tips any adversity can be overcome and life can get back on track.

Over the last couple of years, the whole world has had to cope with challenging situations. The Covid pandemic changed the lives of many people in ways that they could never have imagined and there was much adaptation that needed to take place for people to be able to navigate through this period in time.

People had to adapt their jobs, home lives, relationships, social activities and even their health to get through the pandemic.

Even now, we are still getting used to the changes that have come about since 2020. What we need to understand though is that there are always going to be situations that come up, in our own lives, even if they aren’t on the scale of the pandemic.

Do you want to be the person who is always able to change and adapt to any situation at any given time? There are always going to be people who thrive when times get tough and everyone else seems to be falling apart. These people aren’t super-human its just that they have the tools to use to be able to adapt.

15 Tips to adapt and overcome a difficult situation

1. Start with a clear idea in mind

   When you are making a change or having to adapt to a new situation, you must have a clear idea in mind of what it is you are changing and how you would like it to turn out.

   Any change can be stressful at the best of times, change without a clear outcome can make the situation even more stressful and challenging.

2. Have clear written goals for overcoming the situation.

   To gain clarity of the situation, it is a good idea to write down all of the goals and desired outcomes you would like to achieve, the desired timeframe and the order in which everything will be started and accomplished.

   This sort of planning will keep any project on track and will stop you from becoming stressed and overwhelmed.

3. Examine your mindset and overall attitude

   Before you undertake any change or approach any situation, examine your mindset. If it is a circumstance that you have control over, ask yourself if you are in the correct mindset to undertake change at this present moment in time. If it is a circumstance that you have no control over, make sure that you keep track of your mental well-being to avoid stress, anxiety and burnout.

4. Design a plan for solving the difficult situation

Brainstorming a well-designed plan is a good way to make sure that when you are going through any changes or difficult situations you stay on track and complete what you have started.

Having an idea of what you are going to be facing means that you can start laying some groundwork to overcome it before the situation gets out of hand.

A well-laid plan can save much time, stress and indecision and can get you to the place that you want or need to be far more quickly.

Although we never know for sure exactly what life is going to throw at us, we can at least stay ahead of the game by making a plan. Look to your past experiences for anything that you have struggled with and learn from them.

Plan your future by seeing what you learned from your past experiences.


5. Keep a backup plan in mind

When you start a plan make sure that you have a backup plan on standby in case you run into issues. Even the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry so having a backup plan means that you won’t get knocked off track and will complete what you have started. It will prevent you from getting stressed, anxious or despondent.

6. Try to be Objective About the Situation

A certain level of objectivity is always needed in life regardless of what you are doing. When we only look at life from our point of view we can miss so much valuable information. Try being objective in any challenging situation and look to see if there is another way instead of your own idea.

We all like to think that we are always right but sometimes standing back and viewing a situation differently can put a whole new perspective on to a situation.

7. Surround yourself with positive people to help you get through

Having the right people around you will help in any situation in life, but especially ones that present you with challenges or change.

The right people with the right positive mindset can carry you through, giving you practical help and advice or emotional support and encouragement.

Whatever you are going through, make sure that you have people around you who will back you up and be there when needed.

8. Accept it is not possible to change everything ( focus on what you can change)

You are never going to be able to make all of the changes that you want to in life and things aren’t always going to go the way that you want them to either. Sometimes you just have to accept that the changes you want aren’t going to happen and move on.

Once you have accepted this you will find it much easier to move on. When you can’t change something, focus on what you can change instead. There is no point in wasting time and energy in the wrong place.

9. Make your physical and mental health a priority

The best assets you will ever have in life are your physical and mental health so make sure that you make them a priority in life. Never put anything before your health.

If a situation seems too difficult, time-consuming or is going to take too much from you physically or mentally then you need to let it be. There is no substitute for good health.

10. Stay In the present moment, don’t catastrophize

We’ve all done this I am sure at some point or other in our lives when something is tough, look into the future and imagine life is always going to be awful and that nothing is ever going to change.

Catastrophizing all of the things that could go wrong. This is what the human brain does, it takes control and some work on your mind to prevent it from living in these future-focused areas of doom and despair.

It can be achieved though by learning to stay in the present moment and by just focusing on this moment in time.

Being present, focused and mindful of everything that you have in your life, can put everything into focus and give you a clear perspective of where you are and what you are doing.

11. Take action don’t procrastinate

Often when we have a problem or a difficult situation in life we try and bury our heads in the sand and hope that it will go away. We know of course that it won’t this sort of avoidance tactic never works and can actually end up making the situation worse.

Instead of running away, you need to take action and face the problem head-on. Procrastinating is never the answer, it will only ever produce negativity. Taking immediate action regardless of the outcome is always the best strategy.

12. Use visualisation techniques to see the situation resolved

One of the quickest and simplest tools that you can use when faced with a difficult situation, is to use visualisation to see the situation from the angle that you would like it to be. Imagining the results that you want can be very helpful when dealing with stress and anxiety.

It is also a way of seeing past problems and issues to bring you the required outcome.

Visualisation techniques are used by many people, including sports personalities, actors and top speakers to train their minds to work in the best way possible to always produce positive results.

Focusing on the result and always being as you want it, is the trick to using this tool efficiently and effectively.

13. Talk the situation through with family and any other support group

Sometimes life is tough and it just doesn’t go to plan. Certain situations can totally overwhelm us, change can be too great and a situation can be so difficult that we can see no way out. It is at times like this that we need the help, love and support of family, friends or a dedicated support group to get us through.

Even if they don’t always have all of the answers, just having them around, knowing that they are there for us and have our back is the most important thing. Knowing that you are never alone will give you the courage to move forward in your life, regardless of current difficulties.

14. Take time out for yourself (have a routine of Me time)

Tough situations can often seem a bit more manageable if you have some time away from them and have some time for yourself.

A breakaway is often all that is needed to recharge your batteries and put everything into perspective again.

We all need time to ourselves especially when life is getting on top of us. Even if it is something as simple as a hot bath, a walk or sitting reading a book it is crucial for good mental well-being to have a routine of time for yourself.

15. Use the skills of a Life Coach to help you through the process

When things are tough, sometimes the only option is to call in the experts and let them take over. If you find that despite trying on your own and trying different tools and tips you still need some help then it’s maybe time that you spoke to a life coach. The skills that a life coach has can be the difference between success and failure.

A life coach can offer not only practical tips and tools but can also hold you accountable and give you a totally new and objective opinion for any difficult situations that you may be experiencing. They are there to be supportive of you 100% and will be with you for as long as you need them to be. Click on the link to see how life coaching can help you.

Final Thoughts

When asking the question “How do you adapt and overcome a difficult situation?” you need to bear the above tips in mind. Life is never going to be fair and there are always going to be times when you feel hard done by, mistreated or that everything is just too tough and you feel like giving up.

What you need to remember, is that this happens to everyone, we are all going to have good and bad in our lives that is the process of being human and without the bad stuff, we would never really be able to appreciate the good.

Instead of just wishing and hoping that we never have tough times, what we need to focus on is having a tool belt of ways to cope when a difficult situation arises.

Learning how to adapt to the challenges that life can throw up takes practice, persistence and time.

Having a positive attitude and being armed with the right tools you will be able to take on anything that appears in your life, good or bad.

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Please comment and share if you have any thoughts on overcoming dfficult situations