How To Cope With Sufferings In The World (Showing Empathy Without Losing Your Joy)

How To Stay Happy In The Midst Of The Sufferings In The World

Overwhelmed By The Sufferings In The World? Here Is How To Cope

How To Cope With Sufferings In The World (Guide To Staying Empathic Without Losing Your Joy)

Just as someone remarked that good things do not finish, that is also applicable to bad things. In fact, it would seem that bad things seem to never run dry. On a daily, we hear of a lot of negative happenings and incidents some of which leaves us sad, angry, depressed, insecure wary etc as the case may be.

Being affected by it is simply being empathic to the needs of others and shoeing you feel their pains. If we take into consideration everything that goes on around us, we may never be happy. This is why even in the midst of all negativity and suffering, we just have to find a way to stay happy so that it does not swallow us up. While it is true that there may not be nothing we can do to and suffering and bad occurrences in the world, there are certain things that we can do. Our reactions to them matter a lot because that is one sure way to over come them.

Here are some tips to help you cope with suffering and pain when it occurs:

Suffering Is Inevitable

Yes that is right. Suffering is inevitable and no one who has ever lived never had a taste of it. Do not be fooled into thinking that the wealthy folks have everything going nice and easy for them. The only difference is that suffering comes in various degrees, mostly dependent on your level in life. But the unifying thing is that we all go through it.

When you have this at the back of your mind at all times, you will realize that that it becomes easier to cope with. Instead of beating yourself up, you will become more focused in finding a lasting solution to it. You will then realize that the time and energy spent on crying and wailing would have been enough to find a solution to the unpleasant situation.

Do not Allow It Consume You

This is probably the worst thing that can happen to you at this point. Yes you may be going through a whole lot and it may seem like nothing is going well but the moment you lose all sight of optimism and hope, the next thing is that you become lost in the present condition and then it overwhelms and runs you over. Keep your head high even in such situations. Never let what you are going through to define your existence. Tell yourself that all will be fine and believe it firmly.

Find a way to keep going and do not lose sight of where you are headed. At the and of the day, all that matters is that you were able to overcome tour predicament and not how long you were in it. Do not dwell too much on it. Sometimes, when we are going through a difficult situation, it becomes the focal point in our lives because say in day out that is all we are thinking about. This ought not to be. Replace those thoughts with positive ones. You are alive and healthy right? There are several people out there who will be willing to trade places with you if only they will be healthy and up on their feet. When you remember this, it will help you to note that your situation is not the worst and with this consciousness, you will begin to live better.

Do not Doubt God in Suffering

Whichever God you believe in, call on him in that time of suffering. This is the period you need him the most. Whether it is Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha etc call on him and exercise faith in the knowledge that he is  aware of your suffering. For the Christians, study and meditate on the word of God (Bible) and draw from the inspirations of those who have gone through similar or even worse cases. A glaring example is Job, so reading the book of Job should be a source of courage to you. He lost all he had in one day, became terribly sick and stricken, lost the support of even his wife and yet, he clung to his God and in the end, he was triumphant.

For Muslims, they are usually encouraged to pray the five daily prayers, give alms, read the Qur’an. All these helps strengthens the faith and gives you solace in the word of God. This is why having a firm belief is important because at the end of the day, it all boils down to what you believe in and what works for you.

Ensure Your Suffering Is Not Self-Inflicted

The worst type of suffering is the one you clearly inflicted on yourself. Some of the things people go through in life are as a result of the terrible things they did before or the careless decisions they made earlier in life. This is why it is good that every point in tour life, you do a self introspection. Search yourself thoroughly and look out for where you have erred.

Sometimes, it could be something you did unknowingly or on the spur of the moment. In such scenarios, kindly reach out to the people tour decisions affected negatively and apologize to them. Pray to God for forgiveness and determine never to do them again. By doing this, you may not know it but you are saving yourself from the repercussions of what would have come to you has you not done it. This is why we need to evaluate and reevaluate our decisions at all times.

In the even that your suffering is not self inflicted, it makes it better to deal with because you know it is just one of life’s phases and it will surely pass just as it came. Thus, the only thing you are concerned about is moving forward and finding a lasting solution to it.

Look On The Bright Side

this most likely sounds crazy and impossible. I mean, what bright side can there possibly be to suffering and hardship? In what way possible can one think of it as a blessing? Is there even any bright side to it? The truth however is that in life, there is always a silver lining in the cloud. No matter how bad things seem, there is always something positive to be gleaned from it. This is one lesson life  teaches us  that we have to imbibe.

For instance, if you become broke from your extravagant lifestyle and reckless spending, you learn the art of frugality. If you suffer from want and lack, the bright side is that you will now know how to manage your income better. Most people actually learn from suffering and become better people. Some times, life uses it to instruct and teach us in the areas where we make mistakes or have simply chosen not to learn.

At other times, it is preparing is for a better life ahead. Here is an instance, someone who has suffered and known tough times will be more prudent than someone who has had an easy or is used to the easy life. People who have suffered or have gone through difficulties are often wiser than others who have not. Suffering can also make the proud humble, the foolish wise and the evil good. So when life throws its baggage at you, be sure to catch it with the other hand and keep pressing on. Remember, even the deepest pit has a bottom.

Sometimes, we may not necessarily be the ones going through the difficult times. It could be our friends, family members, neighbours, colleagues etc. What then should be our attitude towards them or the situation? Here is how to act ideally when people around you are suffering:

Empathize With Them

This should be the.very first thing you do. Even if you do nor do anything else, just this alone shows them that you feel their pain and commiserate with them. Showing empathy is putting yourself right in the.person’s shoes and feeling where it hurts the most.

If you can visit them at that point, do. Spend some time with them, lend a listening ear to them. Sometimes, when people talk about what they are going through, it make them feel better. So oblige them and listen. Be the shoulder they can lean on and cry on as well. Do not feel because you are not directly  affected, it is not your concern. Of what use then are we if not to make life better for the people around us?

Alleviate Their Suffering

You know what they are going through so you can actually tell what they need the most. For instance, if it is a widow with  children, you probably know they will go to school, fees and do other things. So instead of continually paying the children’s schools fees and all of that (which is not bad at all) how about opening a business for their mother so she can have a steady income to cater for their needs rather than depending on you for every single thing. This way, you are also saving yourself a great deal of money as well because doing this means that she will not be calling you for everything they ask them to bring in school.

If it is food, ensure you give it with the whole of your heart. One must never be stingy with food. Even if you are stingy with everything else, food and water must never be a part of it. So if it is the situation where this is the most needed, please provide for it (as much as you can).

Do not Blame Them

That would be very callous of you if you did. When people are going through tough times, if you cannot be a source of joy to them, then by all means please leave but do not add to their sorrows. Do not start the blame game or telling them what they could have done. It is already too late because if not, they would have done it.

So when you come, what should be on your mind is, the situation is like this already, what is the next way forward? How else can we make this better. That us being positive and forward looking not coming to recount tales of the past.

Chances are that the people going  through the situation already know it is their fault and are still probably beating themselves up for it. They do not need an extra hand in doing that. This is also where being empathic comes to play. You need it to fully understand what the person is going through.

Pray With and For Them

If you believe in prayers then this will be a good time to say one with such a person or people as the case may be. Praying about it is commuting it to God’s hands and telling him to take absolute control of the situation. Most people underrate the efficacy of prayers. Just have faith and pray to God and ask him to take control and intervene in their situation. Your faith plus theirs may be all you need to see that miracle happen.

Remember, It Could Happen To You

Exactly. So just because things are going effortlessly well for and tours does not mean the tables cannot change at any time. Life is like a game. Sometimes you win some, other times you lose some. So having it subconsciously in your mind that you can actually go through what this other person is going through will humble you and make you realize that it is not through your own strength that everything is going on well for you. The lesson to note from it all is to be humble. Prepare your mind at all times. Pray and hope for the best but also prepare for the worst. This way nothing will take you unawares.

Learn to live life one day at a time. Life is too short and a lot can happen in a matter of minutes. Live it knowing you will not live for forever but make the best use of everyday so that when you look back, you can conveniently say that you lived a fulfilled life indeed.

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