How do you maintain a positive outlook in a seemingly hopeless situation.

[Calibanbutcher]

For me it's simple:
Sheer willpower.
I just decide not to let myself be crushed by whatever problem is coming my way but rather to face it head on.
Worked for me so far, might not be the right approach for you.

 

[The_Fezz]

I try to turn it into a self-deprecating joke, otherwise I'll just shut down.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

"When life gives you lemons don't make lemonade say "fuck the lemons" and bail." I think that's good advice, up until I heard that I lived in a rough patch what with all the bi-polar, manic depressive, meth addicted mother and everything... And then the depression about being too socially inept to make real friends... Of course these problems only stuck around cuz I didn't try and do shit, I just thought "well it ain't that bad", I was making lemonade. Eventually I stopped taking the lemons and just started doing different things. Now I'm skinnier, cleaner and have a few close friends.

And when that doesn't work remember, if it feels like life is tryin to get ya down, life is being a dick. Don't sulk, be happy, if only to spite the forces working against you.

 

[Scarim Coral]

The way I handle it is to take it one day at a time, if you can make one day mostly posistive then surely you will be able to handle it.

I just believe nothing bad can last forever (well depend on what the bad is like maybe a criminal record of a life long illness) since in the past I had an ingrowing toenail problem, got stressed out when trying to find work experience for my Design and Technology class.

All where all an awful experience I had to go through but I am here right now whose toes are now fine and I got a C from that work exp thing I had to do in D&T class.

 

[Frungy]

It's education--college isn't going too well right now. I think one of my biggest problems is that I'm feeling overwhelmed. For example, I've got 3 midterms this week and I feel like there's no way I can do well on them. I'm gonna try to focus on the small picture for awhile and just take one thing at a time.

Overall though, just seeing these words of encouragement are uplifting and I'm grateful for them. I'll post back here at the end of the week when it's all done to let you know how things went.

A saying I find quite helpful in situations like this is, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.".

Figure out what you need to do (e.g. study for 3 midterms by reading 100 pages of notes), break it down into small chunks (read 5 pages an hour for 4 hours a day for the next 5 days), and then start.

Give yourself mini-rewards every time you meet a goal (e.g. the right to play a video game for an hour, or spend an hour watching a TV show). Punish yourself every time you fail to meet a goal (e.g. skip that TV show to make up for the hour of studying you missed).

Finally, something to think about. There's only one type of discipline, self-discipline. Other people can punish you or praise you, or whatever, but at the end of the day no-one can make you do anything, you have to choose. You're landed yourself up in this mess because you lacked the self-discipline to study consistently. Make the change now and keep it up. I know I'm coming across really harsh, and I'm sorry, but if you adopt a strategy of self-discipline you'll be surprised how much free time you have. Make a schedule for yourself, and keep to it.

 

[Dead Seerius]

You could always look at this:

Spoiler

No? Okay, well I've always found that the best way to unburden myself is to take a walk (or run) outside and just pretend I don't have a care in the world while I'm out. I'm serious, it can do wonders.

It might seem impossible to forget your troubles at first, but you just gotta tell yourself "I'm taking a walk, and there's nothing I can do while I'm on this walk except relax and enjoy myself. Might as well completely let go of all my stress while I'm out here."

Set a landmark for how far you you intend to walk, and follow through. If you reach the landmark and feel like you need some more time, go for it. Your efficiency will skyrocket when you return.

Try it.

 

[The Funslinger]

It's education--college isn't going too well right now. I think one of my biggest problems is that I'm feeling overwhelmed. For example, I've got 3 midterms this week and I feel like there's no way I can do well on them. I'm gonna try to focus on the small picture for awhile and just take one thing at a time.

Overall though, just seeing these words of encouragement are uplifting and I'm grateful for them. I'll post back here at the end of the week when it's all done to let you know how things went.

I know what you mean. If I fuck up my June exams, I won't be able to take my gap year, as I'll have to spend that year retaking them.

Just want to meet my university criteria so I can relax.

 

[Mau95]

Very simple: music is my antidrug. I listen to a good, epic or funny song and think about some other thing. I also realise that it's usually pointless to worry too much about things, as life is as useful as you make it yourself.
I advise some Two Steps From Hell, if you want epic music. Laughing at things helps too, because humor is awesome.

 

[spartan231490]

Long story short, I'm going through a bit of a rough patch in my life right now and I'm having a hard time staying optimistic about things. I was wondering if anyone out there has any tips or anything to share about this subject.

Well, I can tell you what I do when I'm in a rough patch. I listen to music I love during the week, and drink a lot of booze with friends on the weekends. I keep my head down, and ignore politics as much as possible. I eat comfort food, and I try to just take things one day at a time. Also, I frankly tend to avoid this site because there's always some topic or another being discussed that just makes me despair for humanity as a whole, which is also why I avoid politics. Hope this helps.

 

[TheLastFeeder]

My way is the path of complete apathy. It's not a good way to look at life but it helps, I never get stressed out, and I never worry.

 

[Keneth]

Spoiler

So it came. So too shall it pass.

Life's a *****. Deal with it.

Etc, Etc...

Basically, accept the fact that life is gonna kick you in the nuts every now and then. Pick yourself up and march on. It's alright to be upset about it. But, don't let it eat you up inside. Do what you need to do and move on to the next thing.

 

[Rassmusseum]

Everybody, thanks so much for all the encouragement! I figured maybe one or two people would comment here by the end of the day, but I'm just blown away by all this goodwill. I haven't really been active on the forums before now so I didn't really know what they meant, but our favorite Podcasters were definitely right about how awesome this community is!

Anyway, I'm trying to take it slow and not get overwhelmed by the big picture too much. Like a few people have said, I'm gonna just focus on one class at a time while trying not to burn out and see how things go.

 

[Jfswift]

I just set goals and try to keep busy. Its all I can do really.

 

[Vault101]

whatever you do don't read the "my gen is falling through the cracks" thread

you don't need that right now

 

[EHKOS]

Play the last bit of God of War 3. It's true, hope is the ultimate weapon. Believe that things have to get better, or will get better later. I don't know how many times this line of thinking has helped me out.