Tricks aren’t just for kids anymore! Those who are manipulating currencies and economies have been doing this most handedly for the last two decades. They have been tricking the markets for years and starting with the first bump in 2003 it has been “rough hoeing” ever since. Whether you want to call it a delayed recession, ongoing depression, or just market bubbles, this trickery has been marching forward and has not made for easy times.
For the enlightened, these past years have been troubling and extremely stressful. The stagnant economy, the continual threat of a global financial collapse, plandemics, terroristic activity, and an overall belief of being “stuck in place” have put most people on edge.
Sadly, the stresses created by being stuck and going nowhere have not lessened since the huge dip in the economy that began in 2008. If anything, they are greater. As additional and questionable government controls are mandated and as insidious corporate shenanigans and corruption are uncovered, that stressful edge is likely to get steeper over time with no end in sight.
In this type of environment, it is easy to become frustrated and immune to taking steps to effect change. It is also very easy to become polarized into a way of thinking that others (that are doing the manipulation spoken of above) want you to think. This state of fear is rampant in today’s society and can be traced to many actions taken by people in all the mediocrity and horrible events that have been perpetrated individually and as a society as a whole.
Those of us who choose the Self Reliant paths refuse to live IN fear, but rather prepare for those times to come so we can be less fearful of the events that look like they are on the horizon. Even those that have prepared a stockpile of food and water and have learned survival skills such as fire building, sheltering, and emergency medicine, play constantly with that Fear Factor.
There is an idiom that is commonly used to describe one’s ability to deal with difficult and stressful situations. It is called “Having a Tough Skin” and it means accepting, whatever happens, dealing with it, and moving on in a healthy and productive manner. It means having the skills to deal with difficult situations, no matter what.
Learning to roll with the punches is a survival skill that can be honed and polished, ready to serve you when faced with the distress of a tough life situation. Today I share 13 ways to roll with the punches. Or, put another way, 13 tips for learning how to cope and endure when the SHTF and your world fall apart.
13 Ways To Toughen Your Skin
1. Know clearly what you want. Let’s face it; when most problems come along, it isn’t exactly what we wanted to happen and they surely will not disappear by themselves so you might as well take action and get something done to solve the issues and problems at hand. Make decisions and act. You may not always make the very best decision but you will be doing something and it is that “something” that really matters.
2. Establish good bonds and social connections within your immediate community. This includes not only establishing close ties with friends and family but also of those that are in your neighborhood and town. Having these relationships will provide you with positive enforcement not only when times are good, but also when times are bad.
3. Have goals. Realistic and some just out of your reach. Even in difficult times, goals are important. Those that are more attainable, keep giving you a sense of accomplishment once done and those that seem out of reach get that much closer each day. Goals for personal growth, physical preparedness, Self Reliance skills, with family, and your circle of friends all fit here.
4. Turn that Frown Upside Down. Difficult times come to everyone, to some more than others, but the ugly head of bad fortune eventually rears. Make these types of situations into avenues for personal growth. Learn from each challenge. If you have a problem that seems difficult to solve, let your innate curiosity take over and educate yourself. Become stronger through education, secure in the knowledge that no matter what your age, you are still learning and growing.
5. If you think you are capable, or not, you certainly are. You’ve heard it said, the success or failure of a task is made within the mind mentally before you can physically make it so. Trust your instincts and remember you are capable of doing great things. Instincts are developed from a lifetime of experience. It does not matter if you are 20 or if you are 80. You still have life experiences upon which to draw some conclusions and to help you make smart decisions. Trust yourself to make the very best decision you can and remember that you have the ability to prevail, no matter what.
6. Maintain your positive outlook. Again, turn that frown upside down. Optimism and pessimism is a choice. You can’t change what has happened in the past, so accept the past and begin to look forward to the future. Anticipate what is coming with a sense of challenge even if the only challenge is to get through the day with food in your belly and love in your heart.
7. Understand your strength and weaknesses. This is where most people fail. They haven’t put in the time to know themselves well enough to know and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Most just choosing to wing it on a daily basis. However, once you truly comprehend what you are great at and what you really suck at, it becomes the time you can plan to play to your strengths and compensate for those weaknesses. We all have plenty of both. Use this knowledge as a tool for building your confidence and your self-esteem.
8. Get the right viewpoint and perspective. Seeing things clearly gets a bit harder to do when you feel overwhelmed and stressed during those bad events in life. But remember, time really does heal. As time passes the sting of crisis experienced abates, the direness of the situation subsides, and the cloudiness of what to do about it all dissipates. Take baby steps toward overcoming the bad situation and congratulate yourself each time you meet with even the smallest modicum of success. Remind yourself that a month, a year, a decade from now, things will be different.
9. Accept and appreciate change. There is only one constant ( beyond God and His Doctrine) and that is that change will always happen. It is a part of life and is often something that we cannot control. Make your plans, rejoice if you are able to see them to fruition. If, however, things change the best way to cope with the unwanted change is to accept it and adjust your plans accordingly.
10. Stay fit and healthy. Take this bit of advice from someone who played hard as a young man. Thinking that I’ll worry about taking better care of myself when I am older. Well, now I am older, and it sucks that your body doesn’t respond like it used to. Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and get some exercise each and every day.
11. Be proactive. Do something productive and meaningful each and every day. By doing something worthwhile each and every day, you will have a sense of purpose. Just remember to make this an individual thing. Meaningful should be defined wholly in your own terms and not those of someone else. Do it regardless of the reward from it, just put it into action because it is the right thing to do.
12. Educate yourself beyond what is expected. Some think that learning ends at graduation. they don’t realize that learning and educating yourself is a life-long process. Life is a learning experience that will teach you things that you will never learn at a traditional school or the university. Take advantage of learning opportunities by eagerly trying something new, even if it is outside of your normal comfort zone. Read (yes I said read) as much as you can then get out there and just do it. Use the one-two combination of hands and brains to acquire skills that will get you through both the best of times and worst of times.
13. Ask your self “What is the worst that can happen?” The author of the 3 Day Work Week recently said that he not only does a Goal planning session, he also does a Fear planning session as well. In a nutshell, he lists those things that he has fear or trepidation of doing or of happening in his life. And then he puts down the results of taking inaction (doing nothing about it). The consequences of the avoidance. Then, in another column put what is the worst that could happen, why the fear is triggered within, working through the fright and apprehension. Put down what the results would be as a consequence. Almost always going through the fear, instead of avoiding a situation, because it better and in the long run much more productive for you and your learning process. )And it may not be as bad as you may think of it all in the first place.)
The Overall TakeAway
For most, getting that “tough skin” is a rough process. Rolling with punches does not come naturally. That being said, it is our lot (again for some more than others) for us to go through. Poor health, financial woes, family issues, fear of a disaster, and a deep concern about the future can and do create unbelievable stresses in our lives. This is the mortal experience all wrapped up with fantastic moments of happiness, joy, and peace mixed in.
Increasing your ability to quickly recover from a crisis or a disaster may mean the difference between getting through life’s challenges with gusto and gumption instead of muddling through the day with fear and distress. Just remember that success can come from the smallest of accomplishments. The baby steppin’ that seem inconsequential at the time have the ability to add up and become something much greater than the individual components.
