Humanity : Jam (Adversity/Trouble)

Adversity

 
Adversity is a part of our life, overcoming adversity,  is one of the biggest hurdles man face. 
Throughout our whole existence, problems, however large and small, is part and parcel of humanity. Throughout life man will encounter struggle, challenges, difficulties and at times, heart wrenching moments.

Havelock Ellis wrote, "Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself."

Thanks to  adversity, man are what they are today! Learning to deal with and overcoming adversity. Every challenge and every difficulty man successfully confront in life serves to strengthen their will, confidence   and ability to conquer future obstacles.

The ability to turn adversity into a challenge instead of becoming depressed every time something goes wrong. 

Psychological Affects

a.   Stress Damage Brain

Stress is a part of all of our lives to the fact, that we tend to shrug off our rising heart beat, insomnia and constant pain as nothing unusual.

Researchers had reported that everyday stress can lead to changes in the brain that make us more vulnerable to mental as well as social disorders ranging from depression to addiction and behavioral conditions.

Dr. Rajita Sinha, a professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at Yale University School of Medicine and director of the Yale Stress Center, reports in the journal Biological Psychiatry that even among healthy individuals, adverse life events that cause stress can lead to shrinkage in parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions and metabolism. The team found that it’s not individual or single  traumatic events that have the most impact, but the cumulative effect of a lifetime’s worth of stress that might cause the most dramatic changes in brain volume.

Sinha imaged the brains of 100 healthy participants on their traumatic and stressful life events, including divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a home or loss of a job. It was found that even a very recently affect/events effects the smaller grey matter in their brains in the prefrontal cortex, a region that is responsible for self-control, emotions and physiological functions such as maintaining proper glucose and insulin levels.

“The most vulnerable to stress of any kind is the prefrontal cortex,” says Sinha. “It’s important for the regulation of our emotions, cognition, desires, and impulse control.”

As nerve tissue in this region disappears due to constant battering from repeated stressful events, our ability to counteract potentially dangerous desires, such as for addictive substances, or control our impulsive behaviors to do dangerous things, may wane. “The prefrontal cortex is important for metabolic homeostasis and for our survival and adaptation to life’s challenges,” says Sinha.

By analyzing the brain scans, Sinha and her team were also able to distinguish how different types of stress affect different regions of the brain. Recent life events, such as a traumatic accident, a job loss or a difficult medical diagnosis seem to predominantly affect our emotional awareness. As this part of the brain shrinks, we may start to lose touch with our emotions, and act in inappropriate or even unfeeling ways to both situations as well as in our interactions with other people.

Finally, chronic stress, the kind that we seem to all live with day in and day out — making deadlines at work, and juggling work and family life — doesn’t seem to affect brain volumes on its own.

But, says Sinha, people experiencing chronic stress may be more vulnerable to suffering from brain shrinkages in key areas when they are faced with a life trauma or sudden adverse event. That’s because chronic stress may erode parts of the brain gradually, just enough so it’s not perceptible but, enough that when a truly stressful event occurs, its effects are magnified and our ability to cope is compromised “Over time, as the number of cumulative stressors increases, chronic stress can interact with that and worsen the effect,” says Sinha.

Understanding that stresses can build, may help more people to address the adversity in their lives and steer their brains away from its negative effects. “The brain is plastic, and thereby can reverse some of the effects of stress and rescue the brain somewhat,” she says. Relieving stress through exercise or meditation is an important way to diffuse some of the potentially harmful effects it can have on the brain. Maintaining strong social and emotional relationships can also help, to provide perspective on events of experiences that may be too overwhelming to handle on your own.

b.   Childhood Adversity

The term Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) has been used by researchers to describe the lives of some children range of childhood difficulties including childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse; child neglect; parental mental illness, substance abuse or criminal behavior; and children witnessing adult intimate partner violence.

In a study of 17,000 HMO patients in San Diego, more than half had experienced at least one type of ACE while others experienced more than one type. The adverse childhood experiences increased the risk of illness including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The more ACEs patients experienced, the more health problems they had.

Long-term Effects of Childhood Adversity

The effects of childhood adversity can continue into adulthood. From recent studies on the long-term impact of childhood abuse, adverse experiences can affect men and women in five key domains of functioning. These include:

• Physiological changes
• Harmful behaviors
• Dysfunctional beliefs
• Negative social relationships
• Emotional difficulties

a.    Physiological Changes

Over the past 10 to 15 years, studies have been made about the traumatic experiences that can influence a child's developing body and mind. Adverse childhood experiences can interfere with the quality of your sleep, alter your immune system, and even make you more susceptible to memory and attention problems.

Adult survivors of childhood abuse tend to go to the doctor more often, have surgery more often, and have more chronic conditions than people who weren't abused. Chronic pain is another commonly reported symptom among abuse survivors. Traumatic events can also lower your pain threshold, making normal sensations seem painful. Pain syndromes related to past abuse are irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, frequent headaches, and fibromyalgia.

b.   Harmful Behaviors

Abuse survivors are also more likely to engage in harmful behaviors ranging from smoking to eating disorders, substance abuse and suicide attempts. In addition, high-risk sexual practices and sexual dysfunction are also more common in abuse survivors, particularly survivors of sexual abuse.

c.    Dysfunctional Beliefs

What you think about yourself and others can also be colored by your past experiences. Shame and self-blame are two common beliefs about self that can be affected by abuse, as an adult.

Self-efficacy refers to the belief that you are competent and can do things to improve your life. Unfortunately, ACEs tend to undermine self-capability, and this can make you more vulnerable to depression and a range of health problems.

Past abuse can also affect your beliefs about other people. Abuse survivors are more likely to be hostile and mistrusting towards others. Given their experiences, this reaction is understandable. However, mistrust and hostility can create health problems for you as an adult. Hostility can suppress your immune system and make you more vulnerable to illness. It can also increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes. In addition, mistrust and hostility can have a negative impact on your relationship with your partner, children and friends.

d.    Social Relationships

Adult survivors of childhood adversity may also experience difficulties in relationships with others. People who experience ACEs may be socially isolated and feel less satisfied with their current relationships than adults who were not abused. That being said, this is not true for all adversity survivors. Men and women who have stable, loving partnerships as adults often find that these relationships are quite healing.

Forms of Adversities

One of the greatest causes of our personal suffering, the suffering within the confines of our mind. It  is believing that the pain is individually endured and is particularly unique to us. It has been forced to us to struggle through and overcome in our lives. It is specifically force on us and unmatched to what anyone else has endured.     

  

But the truth is that the human species, the human population endures anguish and hardships in every second of life. Everyone. And, because pain is such a widely shared trait or “affliction” of the human species, it’s as if there exists… 

One Suffering… that each of us similarly endures to various degrees. Each human being is unique, and surely no two men or women have endured the exact same life or personal history or experiences of pain and anguish. Nevertheless, when we focus less on the differences of our suffering and recognize more that we all share “One Suffering;” our wounds heal faster, our pains subside quicker, and we gain a wonderful and renewed connection to others around us and humanity at large. Hardships That We All Endure :  

§  Loss Death.

But the reality is hardly a comfort to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Loss is a piece of our One Suffering: everyone endures loss. 

a. However, the chances are great that if you open up to family and friends —
          b, immersing yourself in the presence of others, rather than running away — 

c. you will hear their own stories of loss and hardship, and in understanding their similarities, will no longer feel isolated and alone. 

Hearing others’ stories creates a bond of shared suffering; although you do not want to know that others have suffered like you, there is some solemn comfort in knowing that we all share One Suffering.  

§  Heartache/broken heart

Many  man and woman had endured terrible heartache. Even if we have endured but one bad breakup, we share heartache as part of One Suffering. The reason that we perceive our own heartache to be the worst out of anyone else’s, of course, is because the heartache has happened to us directly. With heartache, we have been hurt us so deeply and had our lives affected so severely. Focus less upon the differences of our emotional pain and recognize that everyone suffers heartache.  

§  Sadness

We take the anguish and pain of sadness for granted because we recognize that sadness is a natural human emotion and that every human being has felt, does feel, and will feel sadness in their lives. Sadness is a natural component of our One Suffering. Dealing with sadness, anxiety or depression, share your feelings of sadness with others be it  friends, family, strangers, or a doctor or therapist. Expressing the emotional anguish that we are battling is often one of the very first steps to overcoming it.

§  Fear

Every human being encounters fear. We fear the unknown, we fear what hurts us, we fear change, we fear what cannot be changed, we fear death. Fear is shared as a part of humanity’s One Suffering. We each encounter and must endure fear.

As President Roosevelt once said, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is nothing more but another emotion. When we reject fear as a form of personal agony or torment, and recognize that all human beings encounter fear in their lives, we begin to appreciate that fear is just another emotion that we can endure and survive by our choosing.

§  Conflict

Every human being will endure conflict. Whether the conflict is on a major scale (such as war), or a minor scale (such as personal arguments and confrontations), conflict is a natural cause and component of humanity’s One Suffering. 

However, we can overcome the personal emotional pain caused by conflict by communicating with others. Instead of focusing upon our differences, intently reflect and discuss our similarities. Despite their physical and cultural differences, two people from opposing sides of the Earth can come together and bond over similar suffering caused by conflict.  

§  Failure

A major cause of personal, emotional pain is failure — whether it’s a fear of failure or a fear of rejection, or the type of crippling insecurity and doubt that naturally result from failing and being criticized. We are bound to encounter failure and criticism in every aspect of our lives, from friendships and relationships to business and academics.

Failure should not be the cause of great personal anguish because everyone encounters and endures failure. Although failure is not enjoyable, to say the least, utilize failure as the means to assess your efforts, energy and focus. 

Share (don’t hide) your failures from others — when you discuss your shortcomings, others will open up and share their own shortcomings. You just might learn how to overcome your suffering and use failure to your benefit.

Tips For Overcoming Adversity

 Life is a continuous succession of both small and large problems. They never end. No sooner do you get control of one situation when you are hit by another. Life is a process of “two steps forward and one step back.” When you become a great success, you simply exchange one type of problem for another. Before, you had small problems with limited consequences; now you have large problems with enormous consequences. No matter how smart and clever and careful you are, you’ll face life struggles, challenges, difficulties, and sometimes heartbreaking adversities every day, week and month of your life. 

1.   Be aware of, and accept that adversity is inevitable in life.

Adversity is part of life. To avoid or resist it will only make it persist. Everywhere you look in the world there is unmistakable struggle. There are floods, tsunamis, wars, and calamities of all types. Even within your own circle of family and friends there is death, loss and tragedy. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. So what do you do? 

2.   Build your internal resources.

Before adversity hits, work on cultivating emotional strength, courage and discipline. Be aware that certain difficulties are inevitable, and prepare yourself mentally for confronting adversity head-on.

Be prepare physically and mentally for any possibility. The adversity could be ugly, daunting, and grueling, but equipped for the war. More often than not, when you're prepared for the worst, the worst never happens, or it's much less severe than anticipated. One positive effect of adversity is that people discover strengths they didn't know they possessed.

Another invaluable inner resource is faith. Faith that everything will work out; faith that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and faith that "this too shall pass." Everything in life has its place and purpose. 

3.   Build your external resources.

Build a support system of family and friends. When the going gets tough, we all need encouragement and support. We need someone to talk to; someone to help ease the burden. You would be surprised to discover how often a friend has had a similar experience and can help guide you through the difficult time. Even just knowing a friend is there when you need them can be most comforting.

4.   Take inspiration and learn from others who have dealt successfully with adversity.

There are many inspiring stories of people who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. They triumphed over their adversities to live successful, productive lives instead of surrendering to it.

5.   Coping

During hard times, it is normal to have difficulty coping. The problem is that one difficult life event is often followed by another. For example, a job loss leading to long-term unemployment can have an adverse effect on relationships, finance, health and self-esteem. It might be difficult to find the energy to find another job. Yoga, meditation and deep-breathing exercises aid relaxation and can help you to stay calm under pressure.

6.   Reaching Out

People who reach out to others are more successful in coping with adversity. Positive connections with others can uplift the human spirit and lead to renewed faith in life. People who don't have close relationships or who are suffering because of bereavement or break-ups should try to build new, fulfilling connections. Helping other people in need can also boost your own emotional health.

7.   Inner Narrative

People suffering from adversity often feel the need to look deep inside themselves, sometimes by keeping a journal to explore their emotions and the impact difficulties are having on their lives, as well as to explore how they can rebuild their lives. People who write about their emotions are more likely to be resilient in the face of adversity. Journaling can help you make surprising discoveries about yourself and to identify patterns that may be adding to difficulties.

8.   Positive Thought

Life coach Eleanor Chin points out that people who intentionally use their character strengths will find them readily available in times of need. She suggests purposefully focusing on one strength each day and incorporating it into daily activity. For example, if you are focusing on creativity, and money is a problem, plan an appetizing meal on a smaller budget.

Points to Consider

✓ The difficult times in life help us appreciate when things are going smoothly.  ✓ Look for the learning opportunities in every adverse situation. ✓ Decide whether you will allow your experience to make, or break you. Depending upon how you choose to perceive it, it could go either way.   ✓ Be prepared to accept the worst, should it occur. When you have prepared yourself mentally for the worst, it rarely ever happens, and if it does, it seems less so because you are better equipped to handle it.   ✓ Cultivate faith, courage and resilience. The more of these qualities you arm yourself with, the lesser the impact of the adversity.  ✓ Remind yourself that adversity is part of life. To Accept adversity, helps you overcome it.

Overcoming adversity is

one of our main challenges in life.

When we resolve to confront and overcome it,

we become expert at dealing with it and consequently 

triumph over our day-to-day struggles.

Excerpt and extracts taken with many thanks from :

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_adversity?

http://www.holmdelschools.org/schools/satz/eng_dept/Elements%20of%20Literature/Plot/conflict.htm

http://mywritingandeditingcoach.blogspot.com/2010/09/adversity-and-human-spirit-overall.html

Alice Park : http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/09/study-stress-shrinks-the-brain-and-lowers-our-ability-to-cope-with-adversity/\ http://www.bestthinking.com/articles/lifestyle/family_and_parenting/bad-childhood-great-life-overcoming-the-legacy-of-adverse-childhood-experiences http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/overcoming-adversity.html http://www.ehow.com/about_6803075_effect-adversity-human-spirit.html