There are, unfortunately, all sorts of bad situations that we can find ourselves in, in life, ranging from issues at work, to real life-and-death challenges that can shake us to our very foundations.
We all find ourselves in bad situations of varying degrees from time to time. And as a general rule, the first priority in such situations is just to do whatever we can to get out in one piece – whether that “escape” comes courtesy of Teton Bail Bonds, or a very frank discussion with a loved one.
Here are a few tips for getting out of a bad situation in one piece.
Table of Contents
Be honest – with yourself, and with others
Have you ever noticed how, in many movies and TV series – especially those from the UK – some protagonist will be perpetually getting himself into trouble, and digging a deeper hole, simply due to the fact that he can’t stop lying?
Honesty is the basis for trust, respect, and maybe even love. When you are honest – with yourself, and with others — you help to forge the kind of pure connections that can survive difficult times, and pull you out of them.
Honesty is also essential in a more directly practical sense, too. If you can’t admit that you’re a bad situation, how can you have the presence of mind to get out of it?
When things are falling apart around you, be honest with yourself, and with others. Forget “white lies,” too. They don’t exist.
Get a clear sense of where you’d rather be instead, and outline the habits you need to develop, and actions you need to take, to get there
If you’re in a situation that you really don’t want to be in, the logical question is – where would you rather be?
It can often happen that you are aware that you are deeply dissatisfied with circumstances as they stand, and know that you want things to be different, but don’t actually know how you want things to be different. The problem with this kind of uncertain and vague frustration, is it doesn’t offer any roadmap out.
If you find yourself in this situation, work to gain a clear sense of where you’d rather be instead, and outline the habits you’d need to develop, and the actions you’d need to take, to get there. At least as a rough draft.
If you hate your current job, for example, you might want to make a habit of checking out the job boards every morning before work, and may want to take the action of editing your CV.
Take responsibility without beating yourself up – negotiate with yourself, and treat yourself right
Unfortunately, when we are going through difficult times, we are often pretty good at beating ourselves up ruthlessly, and treating ourselves like dirt.
Research is pretty clear about the consequence of this, though. Instead of making us more likely to do the right thing – this kind of self-cruelty only diminishes willpower further, and cause a downward spiral to accelerate.
You certainly do need to take responsibility for your situation, and to do whatever you can to improve it. But it’s just as important that you negotiate with yourself, and treat yourself right, instead of trying to boss yourself around and belittle yourself.
