Chances are, you like routine and being in control of what you do. You’ve tried everything possible for a favorable outcome, yet the unexpected still happens and you are left wondering what you did or could have done differently. Every day, we meet all kinds of surprises and unexpected events. Most of them are of minor importance, but sometimes, they are major, or life-shaking events of unpleasant nature, causing difficulties and problems. This can cause you anxiety, stress, and affect your mind, moods, and behavior, hence the need to cope by finding a way to be less affected by these outcomes.
Unexpected situations can come at any time in anyone’s life. The important thing is how you deal with them. Life is full of hurdles, ups, and downs. You cannot expect to do everything smoothly and adequately all the time. You should be prepared for unexpected circumstances and know very well how to handle them without panic. Remember that with panic, the problems won’t get resolved but may be increased. You can beat the negative impacts of unfavourable outcomes very well with your inner strength, power, and stability. If you learn to manage yourself in difficult circumstances, they will start losing their adverse effects on you.
The Benefits of Coping with Unexpected Outcomes:
- It builds self-discipline
- It improves physical, mental, and emotional health
- It increases inner strength
- It reduces stress and anxiety
- It leads to inner peace
- It builds resilience
- You become optimistic
Action Steps:
The following actions can help you cope with unexpected outcomes:
1. Accept that life is full of surprises – when you acknowledge and accept that change is part of life, to some extent, it will be easier to deal with whatever happens in your life.
2. Have a positive attitude – a positive attitude is an asset in unexpected situations because sometimes, what seems like a problem, or even a disaster, could be a blessing in disguise.
3. Plan ahead – when making a plan, always have an alternate plan, in case the first plan fails. This would prevent you from falling into a state of helplessness, fear, and not knowing what to do next.
4. Don’t react immediately – learn to pause before reacting or confronting unexpected outcomes because it might be something temporary, or something that can be fixed easily.
5. Start small – take the initiative and introduce small changes into your life, this will help you cope more easily with surprises and events that are out of your control.
6. Learn to move on – with unexpected outcomes, sometimes there’s little you can do to change it but you can adjust to the new situation and either fix it, improve it, or make the most of it.
7. Focus on the present – make the most of the present, learning from it the most you can, and taking advantage of new opportunities that come your way, instead of thinking about what you lost, thinking about the past, or dwelling on how bad the situation is.
8. Learn to detach – attachment causes you to cling to the familiar, and makes you fear letting go. Emotional detachment will help you stay calm and in control of yourself, and therefore, be in a better position to deal with whatever is happening in your life.
9. Build your inner strength – your inner strength brings stability, and better control of your mind and actions, so that you can cope with any situation.
10. Practice meditation – meditation brings you inner peace which can make a great change in your life, making you feel, calm, relaxed, and unperturbed by the events in your life.
11. Talk to someone you trust – you don’t have to go through the unexpected alone; when you talk things out, it will help you gain clarity and focus on the big picture.