7 Expert Tips for Adapting to Life ’s Curveballs

Life throws us curveballs all the time—and sometimes, all in one day. These curveballs might be relatively minor: a work project doesn’t go your way, your colleague makes a hurtful remark, your car won’t start, you get sick before a big presentation, your kids won’t sleep. Or these curveballs might be major and (initially) seem insurmountable: You don’t get into your first-choice school. You don’t get the promotion. You lose your job. Your relationship ends. You need surgery. Big or small, these situations might lead you to feel very overwhelmed—and frustrated. So, you stew and wallow. You vent and complain. You wish things were different. You focus on the past. And you remain stuck. Or you make hasty decisions—and then feel regret. All of these reactions and actions are completely understandable because effectively navigating life often requires skills that we still need to sharpen. And that’s OK. Because you can absolutely strengthen them. We turned to seasoned clinical psychologist Ryan Howes, Ph.D, for insights into how we can healthfully adapt to life’s inevitable challenges and changes. Process your emotions. When a situation surprises us, we often “try to bypass the hurt and anger and loss and just plow ahead reactively into the next life change,” Howes said. However, this can lead us to make rash, emotional decisions, or to live in a constant state of stress. Howes shared this example: After losing your job, rather than process the shock and fe...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anger Creativity General Industrial and Workplace Mental Health and Wellness Self-Help Stress Success & Achievement Source Type: blogs