They say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. Essentially, this means that you should make something beautiful out of something bitter. What do you do, though, if you are allergic to lemons? Or you hate lemonade? Or you can’t believe that life was such a snot to give you a bitter time and all you want to do is throw the lemons right back and flick the V sign? Well, you do all of that, but life will keep moving forward and throwing lemons at you in the most frustrating game of dodgeball ever. The key is to learn to deal with the lemons and handle them with care, because life doesn’t stop moving, even if yours does for a little while.
It doesn’t matter what you do or how you live, you are going to come across tough situations in your life. It’s not the situation that is going to crumble you, it’s how you cope with it. Situations such as job loss will put you in a tough position, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a new job, even if it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and rejection. Other issues in life such as infertility may make you think twice about fostering. You may not have thought of it before, but while you’re in the weeds and grieving for something your body isn’t letting you do, there are many children out there that need to be loved and you could be a big part of healing their story. Coping with huge life events like that are never going to be easy, but you can grow and develop as a person just by handling your emotions and your reactions and making that lemonade you so despise. So, how do you face new setbacks in life with poise, grace and a lot of gritted teeth?
Firstly, change is going to happen whether you want it to or not. You can stamp your feet and argue with it, but it will be happening. That doesn’t mean that you’re not okay. It’s okay that things change. Just breathe. It’ll come right again soon; the wheel of fortune will always spin back to you.
Secondly, the changes that do hit you in the face like a brick aren’t necessarily going to break you, even if it does feel that way in the moment. Instead, they’re going to strengthen you in ways that you never thought possible and teach you lessons that you didn’t expect to have to learn.
Lastly, make it fun. You lost your job, right? Well, now is the time to travel a little bit on a shoestring budget and make a fortune as a travel blogger. It may not feel feasible, but it is. If you’ve lost your home, it’s time to embrace the kitsch and rent yourself that bijou flat you always wanted.
The key to life is adaptation. You will grow, change and adapt. Even with a plaster on your face from the lemons smacking you in it.