12 Incredible Tips to Cope With Hard Times
Updated for emotional wellbeing and resilience, 2026
Self-Care During Difficult Seasons of Life
At some point, everyone faces hard times. Life can feel overwhelming when you experience loss, uncertainty, emotional pain, or prolonged stress. During these moments, it may feel as though your energy, motivation, and clarity have been drained.
In difficult seasons, strength does not mean pushing through at all costs. Often, it means slowing down, acknowledging what you are experiencing is one step at a time.
In this article, you will find 12 practical, psychology-informed strategies designed to help you cope with hard times, protect your emotional wellbeing, and regain a sense of stability during challenging seasons of life.
Finding Strength in Tough Times
Coping with hardship is not about “fixing” everything immediately. It is about learning how to stay present, care for yourself, and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively. The following practices are invitations. Choose the ones that resonate most with you right now.
1. Honor Your Emotions
Healing begins with acknowledgment. When emotions are ignored or suppressed, they tend to intensify.
Name what you are feeling (sadness, anger, fear, grief, confusion).
Allow yourself to experience it through writing, talking, or creative expression.
Set gentle time boundaries (for example, 15–30 minutes) to prevent emotional overwhelm.
When emotions are recognized rather than resisted, they often lose some of their power.
2. Let Your Values Guide Your Actions
During difficult times, your values can serve as an anchor.
Identify one or two core values that matter most to you (such as compassion, growth, connection, or honesty).
List small actions you can take in 5, 10, or 30 minutes that align with those values.
When you feel stuck, choose one small action and take it—without waiting to feel motivated.
Acting in line with your values helps restore a sense of purpose, even when emotions feel unsettled.
3. Embrace Emotional Duality
Life is rarely experienced in absolutes. You can feel grief and gratitude, exhaustion and hope, anger and love at the same time.
Allowing emotional complexity reduces inner conflict. There is no “correct” feeling in hard times. Making room for multiple emotions supports psychological flexibility and emotional health.
4. Understand the Driver and Passenger Metaphor
Imagine your emotions as passengers in a car:
You are the driver, choosing direction and pace.
Your emotions sit in the passenger seat. They are present, but they do not steer.
This perspective helps you acknowledge emotions without letting them control your decisions.
5. Adapt Your Gratitude Practice
Gratitude can still be helpful during difficult times, but it often needs to be adjusted.
Focus on one small thing you are grateful for each day.
Allow gratitude to coexist with pain.
Consider morning or evening reflections to gently shift perspective.
Gratitude during hardship is about honesty, not forced positivity.
6. Find a “Flow State” of Gratitude
Rather than thinking gratitude, allow yourself to feel it.
Engage in activities that naturally draw you in, such as walking in nature, creating art, or listening to music.
Notice moments of ease or appreciation as they arise.
Let the feeling unfold without effort or expectation.
These moments help reconnect you with presence and meaning.
7. Move Your Body Gently
Physical movement is one of the most reliable ways to support emotional regulation.
Movement releases tension, supports mood, and helps regulate the nervous system.
8. Mindfully Curate Your Environment
Your surroundings influence your inner state more than you may realise.
Limit exposure to negative or overwhelming content.
Set boundaries with people or situations that drain your energy.
Replace harmful input with calming music, meaningful reading, or supportive voices.
Creating a safe external environment supports internal stability.
9. Be Gentle With Yourself
Hard times naturally reduce capacity.
Adjust expectations around productivity and focus.
Practice self-compassion instead of self-criticism.
Remind yourself that your worth is not defined by output.
Speak to yourself as you would to someone you deeply care about.
10. Express Your Needs and Ask for Support
You do not have to face difficult times alone.
Clarify what you need (time, space, help, reassurance).
Communicate calmly and clearly.
Allow others to support you, and acknowledge their efforts.
Professional support can also be invaluable when feelings become overwhelming.
11. Focus on What You Can Control
Uncertainty increases anxiety. Reclaiming small areas of control helps restore balance.
Identify three things you can influence right now.
Take small, consistent steps.
Realise what is beyond your control.
This shift strengthens your sense of agency and calm.
12. Speak and Think Constructively
Your internal dialogue shapes your emotional experience.
Replace “I have to” with “I choose to.”
Shift from “this is happening to me” toward “this is something I can learn from.”
Allow yourself to vent, but set limits and gently redirect toward hope or solutions.
Language can become a powerful source of resilience.
Final Thoughts
You carry more resilience than you may realise even when it feels hidden. These twelve strategies are not rules or expectations; they are options. Choose one or two that feel manageable right now and let them support you where you are.
Hard seasons do not last forever. With patience, compassion, and support, you can move through them and emerge with greater understanding and strength.
Be kind to yourself. Reach out when you need help. And remember this moment does not define your future.
Keep positive, keep strong.
Best of luck, Cheers,
By: Monica Hoss
Licensed Psychotherapist
MSc Psychology
hello@calm-therapy.net
An Acctive Member of:
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