6 Ways to Make the Best of Bad Situations

Bad situations are inevitable. We cannot avoid them or predict if the outcome of a scenario will be favorable to us. So, what will you do if you encounter a situation you don’t want to be in? Whether you’re stuck for hours in traffic or forgot to save important work on your computer, bad things happen when we least expect them to. How do you deal with this kind of situation? Here’s how to make the best out of these awful circumstances.

6 Helpful Tips for a Bad Situation

As I mentioned, we cannot avoid a bad situation, but we can’t ignore it. It’s like being stuck in a situation where you have limited options. But instead of beating yourself up for it, stay calm. You only have two options; stay mad and ruin your day or see the good in all of it. If you choose the latter, here’s what you can do about it.  

• Take a second look and expand your timeline.

We cannot help but get agitated immediately when we face an awful situation. That’s the normal human response. We get annoyed easily. But you’re in this situation; take a deep breath and clear your thoughts. Remind yourself that this moment will not last forever. 

Whatever is stressing you out isn’t going to be there forever. It will pass by. Instead of wallowing in this situation, look up and remind yourself, “This, too, shall pass.” Having this in mind will give you a better perspective and room for yourself to calm down and think of a plan to outsmart the situation. 

• Make peace with it

Being in a bad situation is similar to grieving. You go through all the stages of it. First, you’re in denial, then you are angry. You bargain for things to be different but then learn to accept the situation later. Depression comes in waves, too; you can’t avoid this. But before you even feel these rollercoasters of emotions, the best way to deal with a bad situation is to make peace with it. 

Accepting that there are things you cannot control is something that you should do. But this does not mean you are surrendering. The sooner you accept the situation, the sooner you can act on it. And the sooner you act on it, the more at peace you’ll be. 

• Focus on your skills and capabilities

Being in a bad situation is one of the worst feelings you can experience. You feel stuck and useless at some point. And we can’t help but find solutions to it right away. 

The best step to take is to realize your potential in this situation. What are your skills? Do you have a talent that could be useful at this moment? USE THEM. Don’t allow time to pass by without doing anything. You have the skills and capability; make use of them right now. Wasting time crying or overthinking the situation will not improve it, but acting on it will do. 

• Minimize your expectations

We always dread the outcome of an action we are unsure of them. The safe way to approach it is to expect nothing. If you expect something to happen, but nothing does, you’ll be disappointed in the end. So expect nothing and be open to the possibilities when the moment comes. It will lessen your stress in the process. 

Minimizing your expectations doesn’t mean you’ll never be disappointed. But it allows for something good to come out of it too.

• Do less than you should

Sometimes, a situation could be more promising than it was. Please refrain from doing everything. Do as little as possible if you know that the scenario calls you to do less. Besides, if the situation is out of hand, there’s little you can do anyway. Why stress yourself about it? Sometimes less is more. The next best step is to focus on what needs to be done and direct your path to it. Keep going, and don’t stop till you’re out of the woods!

• Look for the lessons.

Not all situations are helpless. There are always lessons that come with it. Look for the lessons that it teaches you and work on them. For example, if being stuck in traffic makes you lose your patience, isn’t it time to work on managing your temper? It may teach you to take things slow and reflect on your actions. 

Whatever the lessons are, keep an eye out for them. Sometimes, the lessons we learn come in unlikely situations. So be open; you will never know what’s next!

Just a bad day, not a bad life

Some of the bad situations we’re in are temporary. They come and go, so don’t take it as a sign of having a bad life. If you ask my opinion, then I say, let it pass. This minor inconvenience is not the end of your life yet. It might sound cliche, but others have it worse, and still, they choose to move onwards. You should do the same too. Life is full of surprises, and a little bump on the road isn’t the end of everything. Be grateful, always.