....situations

 As long as you live in this world, you are subjected to the same chaos, the ups and downs, the good and bad, the positives and the negatives of life. You are not the only person facing this.

What sets you apart from others though, is how you choose to deal with this situation. Here are steps to cope with bad situations and create something good out of them:

1. Release Your Frustrations.

Don’t bottle them up because you might just implode. Talk to a friend about it. A listening ear does wonders. Go exercise and release the tension. Journal it out. Give it up to God. All of it!

2. Realize You Are Not Alone.

No matter what you may think, you’re not alone in this. God is with you. He brought you to this to take you through it. After you get through this, you'll be stronger, more dedicated and more faithful to Him. Knowing this helps you to get out of a self-victimizing mindset.

3. Being Frustrated Isn’t Going to Solve Anything.

The problem will still remain whether you go berserk at it or whether you think about it calmly. The former will create more problems as your agitation prevents you from making good decisions. Remaining frustrated will not help you, so focus on what can be done instead.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.

4. Know You Always Have A Choice.

Realize no matter what happens, you always have a choice in how you react. While you may not be able to control what happens to you, you can most certainly control your behaviors. You can face the worst things in the world, but if you make the choice not to let yourself be affected by them, you won’t be.

5. Objectify It.

An incident is an incident; we’re responsible for the feelings attached. Remove the feelings and look at the situation objectively. This will help us cope a lot better.

6. Focus On What You Can Do.

Action creates empowerment. It brings possibilities. It creates results. By taking action, you are no longer a passive recipient. You are a conscious creator.  "Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only."  (James 1:22)

7. Ask For Help If You Need To.

It’s okay to ask for help if it makes the situation easier. Remember, you are not alone in this. "He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7)

8. See It As An Obstacle To Be Overcome.

Life is a journey of learning and growth, and everything happens for a reason. Obstacles are the things stopping you from getting your goals, and if you keep overcoming these obstacles, you’ll eventually get what you want. "I press on toward the prize of the upward high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14)

9. Identify the lesson learned.

There are always things to be learned from every situation. Learning a lesson, moving forward and not repeating the same mistake will help you the next time.

10. Give It To God

Give it to God - All of it!  And then forget about it. He's up every night. No need for you to be.

No matter what life throws your way, as long as you cope with it constructively, with God, nothing can get you down, slow you down or hold you down.

Keep looking up and you'll move up!