5 easy ways to overcome challenges to become mindful

Life is not a straight paved road; it’s a roller coaster. One day you will be happy; life is simple and fulfilling. But another day, life comes crashing down on you. You should not fear this development, as it’s completely normal. In social media, people often portray that their life is “perfect”; however, that is never the case. Some people just know how to overcome challenges and handle hard times with less effort.

But this knowledge is not an ultimate secret; everyone can learn. Most people will never learn it and remain the same. However, you still have a chance to learn and change.

1. Discover yourself

Most people don’t know who they are, where to go, or what to do. This helplessness will be a life without drive— a life living in the moment. Many of these people would rather indulge in a short-term hedonistic lifestyle than reach for deep fulfillment. They don’t know how to achieve mindfulness within themselves. And how could they, if they really don’t know their inner self. To become more mindful, learn your passions. Those are critical and will give you the “drive” in your life.

Furthermore, you need to know what you want in life, what goals you want to achieve, etc. Where do you want to be in 1, 3, 5, 10, or 20 years? Prepare yourself a piece of paper and a pen, then write down your thoughts on where you’d like to be in these different years. This task is a thought exercise; however, you do not need to force yourself to “know.” It’s alright to not know everything about where you want to be. Besides that, your present is not a final version of your future, just a general direction. You can change these anytime.

But also, you need to know where your weaknesses are, since we are not perfect. These are not only weaknesses in everyday life but also where you are most vulnerable. Is it stress, heartbreak, etc.? Discovering these weaknesses will make you more mindful about them, at which point you can better prepare for an impact. Other weaknesses around skills and learning abilities are also important. Knowing these makes life more stable since you can avoid certain routes that are just harder to go for. Ways of life you likely should avoid. For example, I know my biggest weaknesses are language learning and drawing, while I also am more vulnerable in full, loud, and noisy rooms.

Finding these vulnerabilities takes time, but there are tools you can use to discover them. Mainly, strategic journaling will be helpful instead of mindless journaling. Each day, you sit down and write about it. But it is important to write down the feelings you experienced, what was hard, and what was easy. These notes will not only improve your mindfulness of yourself; you will also be able to handle those feelings better and overcome challenges more easily.

Beside that, also try to use meditation, which is an important tool to discover yourself. Meditation uses the breath, sound, or different things as an anchor between the body and the mind. While you focus on that connection, you will discover more about yourself. So try to do it and focus not only on your breath but also occasionally on what you feel. Don’t try to suppress it; just feel it.

2. Know Yourself (and Use That Knowledge)

A minor but important step comes when you start to really know who you are. You know your weaknesses, your strengths, your feelings, and your goals. These aspects of your identity hold significant importance. Now you have the chance to really use that knowledge to your advantage. If you don’t know how to use your knowledge to your advantage, knowing yourself will be less valuable. However, this step is faster to learn and rapid.

Here is where the journaling comes back, but it will be a better version. You can analyze your days and weeks to see if your actions align with your true self instead of just writing to discover yourself. Your inner self. Did you truly listen to your inner voice and strive to achieve your goals? Did you act unordinary to your true self, disguising your inner self, just to make people like you? We should critically evaluate these types of actions.

Then the next days and weeks, you should follow what you found out in your writings. Truly follow your inner self, even if that means losing undesirable friends or having fewer social interactions. People that only like your fake persona are also not the right people to be around. Meditate in the best case daily to remain true to your identity. This makes you even calmer. This is how you can cope with hard times: be true to yourself and avoid emotional traps.

3. Becoming Stoic to overcome challenges

The ancient practice of stoicism is one discipline I don’t talk about the first time. It is a method of understanding the reality of life and striving to live in accordance with it. When you go through your daily life, you notice a certain type of people. This is a common occurrence. Let’s imagine you are sitting in a bus or train, and something stops the travel. Maybe many people worked the entire day, and now their day is “ruined.” One single thing, even if that is just 10 minutes, will ruin their day.

Letting something small in your head is not stoic. Yes, awful things happen, but so does life. Should we cease to enjoy life simply because of these unfortunate events? Ask yourself, what does worrying and having a bad mood really fix? Don’t answer; that is a rhetorical question. It will change nothing. Shouting at the staff of the bus, train, etc., will also not change anything, yet people do it. Instead of letting their bad mood out, they unleash it on others, and it will pass down to them. The staff then is also in a bad mood and might unleash it on someone else. This is like a virus, but a stoic mindset makes you immune.

This time you just relax; there is nothing you can change. And if it can be changed, by talking to someone that can change it, be instead kind, calm, and mindful. This way you will be more relaxed, and you still can enjoy life. That moment is part of your life, so enjoy it.

4. Don’t Fear Help

Life can be a lot; there are many things that could happen to you, and you need to overcome challenges in your entire life. Some are harder than others; some are weaker. Often you can handle it alone, but there will be instances where you just need help. Moments were pure stubbornness about being alone will just not work. Things that just can’t be handled alone, or that are way easier to handle with the help of someone else. The other person can be a friend, a partner, family, or even a therapist if he does the job well enough. There is no shame in asking for help, and you also should not fear it.

Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; it is rather a sign of strength and inner mindfulness. You can never become truly mindful if you don’t acknowledge the moments where you just need help. It’s not a matter of pride; it’s just a matter of knowing yourself and remaining true to your inner self. If there is an issue that is difficult to handle, whether it be emotional or a skill issue, ask for advice. Maybe there are people in your life that you can truly trust and who can really help you. So ask them for help; that will make you manage challenges way easier than alone.

5. Embrace the Journey

If you adhered to the previous four steps, you have made significant progress on your journey. You are more mindful; you can overcome challenges and handle hard times way easier than other people. This trait already gives you a strong mindset that improves your mental health and especially your resilience. However, there is still one step to improve it even further. This is not a one-step solution, which you have already achieved; rather, it is a lifelong journey. You will need to dedicate your entire life to this endeavor, but the rewards will be immeasurable.

First, make mindfulness a routine, something you do daily or weekly. Meditate when you need it, but the best is, you meditate at least once every day. This makes you always a calmer and more mindful person. Same with journaling; it needs to be done regularly. Every time I stopped with meditation and journaling, my life became more unbalanced again. But if you make it a regular practice, you will likely be more stable and stoic every day.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, all of this is your own personal journey. No one else can walk it for you. You will fall, you will fail, and you will doubt yourself—but that’s all part of the path. The important thing is: you stand up again, and you keep going. Mastering mindfulness and overcoming challenges is a continuous process. It’s something you live every single day. Some days will be easy; others won’t. But with every day you practice, you grow. And the more you grow, the more unshakable you become. So don’t wait for the perfect moment; don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Start now. Breathe. Write. Reflect. Ask for help. Stay true to yourself. Life doesn’t need you to be perfect—it just needs you to keep going.

What to Do

✓ Sure! Here’s your “What to Do” list in your own style, shorter and without bullet points:

✓ Sit down with a pen and paper. Write down where you want to be in 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 years. Be honest, no need to be perfect.

✓ Start journaling daily. Write how you felt, what was hard, what went well. Look for patterns.

✓ Meditate every day. Even just a few minutes. Focus on breath or feelings. Just observe.

✓ Think about who you really are. What makes you, you? What are you hiding to fit in?

✓ Stop faking for others. If they don’t like the real you, let them go.

✓ Stay calm when life gets messy. Ask if you can change it. If not, accept it.

✓ If things get too heavy, ask for help. Talk to someone you trust. You don’t have to do it all alone.

Want a community to work together for a better you? Are you looking for individuals who can provide you with guidance and encouragement? Click here to join our Discord Community.

If you plan achieve greatness for a fulfilling life, read some of my other articles about productivity and discipline. Or you could find out how to be more efficient with learning here.

Now I want to hear from you!

Where are you on your way towards Mindfulness? How hard can you manage challenges? Write it down in the comments!