Dear Readers,

As an assignment for English, we were tasked with creating an exhibit focused on adversity. In this exhibit you will find seven simple steps to overcoming adversity. Adversity is something that everyone can relate to in this life. I attempt to illustrate the process of overcoming and facing adversity with additions of art, music, and videos.

I hope readers will find some benefit in exploring this exhibit. The goal of this curation of pieces of art and media is to provide inspiration and hope. I hope every reader comes out of this with a feeling of confidence when they think about taking on their adversity. It is also a goal of mine to remind everyone that they are not alone in their struggles and adversity.

Through this project, I have come to realize that even when I feel down or hopeless, I will make it through. My perspective on adversity has dramatically changed. I now see that it is more important to fight back against adversity with a positive mindset than it is to dwell on facts that you cannot change. I understand the importance of perseverance in times of adversity now due to this curation process.

7 Steps to Facing and Overcoming Adversity

By Lauren Stull

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Since the beginning of time, adversity has been a part of the lives of humans all across the world. It is unavoidable. No one enjoys the conflicts and struggles that they are dealt in life, but those who face them head on instead of avoiding them come out the strongest. It is not always easy to do this, but you will look back and thank yourself in the long run if you do. Follow these steps and find out what works for you in your journey to overcoming adversity. Always remember that you are not alone in your adversity. Take a look at these videos of ways adversity has effects people of all walks of life.

• “Parents Explain School Shootings” by Cut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dorfnY-NoZA&list=PLJic7bfGlo3r0SpOZqRzRAbJanLPG_7P-&index=4

In this video parents explain to their children what mass shootings are. This is a very serious topic that greatly affects the United States and the children in schools. Adversity is shown when parents have to explain to their children that they may not always be safe in their schools.  

• “A Portrait of Poverty in America: Job Insecurity and Payday Lending” by Wall Street Journal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtqchgO03xI

This video shows the lives of people living in poverty. They have to make ends meet in whatever way they can. There are many adverse situations that lead to poverty and homelessness.

• “Kids Talk About Bullying” by KidsHealth.org

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/kids-talk-bullying.html

 

Kids talk about what bullying is and what bullies do. Bullying is one of the main sources of adversity in the lives of kids.

Step 1. Acknowledge the Adversity

This step is probably already taken care of because you are reading a blog on overcoming said adversity. If, by some odd chance, you haven’t realized that there is some adversity that needs to be addressed in your life, now is the time to do so. This is a key step. Ignoring your problems and pushing them to the back of your mind will only allow them to grow and become even more paristitic.

Step 2. Dwell Momentarily

Now is your chance to feel bad for yourself. It is good to get this self pity out now so that you can devote your full attention and energy to fighting the problem. To complete this step, recommend finding a good playlist to listen to. Check out these ten songs on adversity:

https://open.spotify.com/user/lauren.stull/playlist/17HafAblmmamkCOqI28DhU?si=Tb0bHUDwRQuJRlkL2tJJlw

 

• “Warrior” by Demi Lovato: This song is about going through hard times and overcoming. She explains in this song how she is going to fight back against the adversity in her life.
• “I’m Gonna Win” by Foreigner: This song talks about winning and persevering when you are faced with adversity. It talks about not knowing how to win but being confident that you will make it through.
• “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Benatar: Facing adversity is a major theme in this song. The singer talks about being willing to take whatever the world has to throw at them.
• “Hold On” by Shawn Mendes: Shawn talks about holding on even when you want to give up. He talks about pushing through adversity because you have so much life to live.
• “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus: Miley illuminates how some struggles in life feel like mountains that must be climbed. She says that there will always be adversity but you need to focus on each individual step to overcoming.
• “These Times” by Safetysuit: This song shows how adversity affects so many people. The lyrics talk about how the bad times will pass eventually.
• “Defying Gravity” by Idina Menzel: This song talks about breaking through adversity and defying gravity. She knows she can’t change the things she is given in life, but she won’t let it stop her from flying.
• “No Fight Left” by JJ Heller: This song is about feeling like you can’t go on anymore. The singer talks about giving everything to God in these times and trusting him.
• “Praise You in This Storm” by Casting Crowns: This song talks about how life can bring storms into your life. It is important to continue praising God during times of adversity.
• “Demons” by Imagine Dragons: This song talks about the demons inside everyone. Everyone has something in their life that hinders and brings them down.

 

 

Step 3. Become Inspired

 

Now that you have wallowed in self pity, you must get to work. A great way to inspire yourself to overcome your adversity is to look to others. There are so many examples of things large and small that people have overcome. Take a look at these videos of some everyday (and some not-so-everyday) people that have fought back against adversity:

 

• “Trial of Adversity” by ChurchofJesusChrist.com

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-04-002-trial-of-adversity?lang=eng

This video is about a woman who is paralyzed. She decided to put her trust in God and live her life to the fullest even though she has been through so much.

• “How to Get Through Hard Times” by Thoraya Maronesy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5uSFMM9qog

This video beings with many different people sharing the hardest time in their life. Later each person tells how they fought through the adversity they have faced.

 

Step 4. Get Into the Right Mindset

The journey to overcoming adversity may not be a short and easy one. You may be in this for the long haul. It is crucial to recognize this and mental and emotionally prepare for it. It is important that you never fall into the trap of letting things get to your head. You should not feel bad for yourself. Instead, try your best to see the good that could come out of every negative situation life throws at you. A large part that goes into overcoming your adversity battles is how your react. Be sure to not let this hard time in life determine your happiness and quality of life. This skill comes from being able to maintain a strong mindset throughout the whole process.

Step 5. Find Strength in God and Those Around You

Lacking a strong support system will be detrimental in this journey. It can be very hard to always have inner strength to get you through everything. Luckily, you have someone you can turn to in these times of need. God will always be there. Put your trust in him. Tell tells in Psalm 46:1-3 that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” With God by your side, you have nothing to fear.

Looking to trusted family and friends is also a great choice. These are the people that love you the most and want you to succeed. Try your best to find at least one person to confide in. Be sure that they are someone you can trust and that they will motivate you to stay accountable until the problem is solved.

Step 6. Don’t Give Up

One of the most important things to remember in this process is that perseverance will get you a long way. It will be very tempting to give in to adversity and conflict, but you must stay strong and fight it out to the very end. You will never overcome your hardships in life if you don’t have a strong enough will to never give up.

Step 7. Reflection

Now that you have come out on the other side of this time of adversity, it is time to reflect. Take every moment of struggle and use it as a learning experience. Time of adversity can teach you a lot about yourself and those around you. Learn to be thankful for every experience in your life whether it be good or bad. Look back on what you just faced and find the silver lining. If nothing else, thank God for guiding you through this hard time in your life. A good example of someone who has reflected on their adversity is Melba Pattillo. In her book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba illustrates the extreme adversity she faced as a child integrating into a white high school. Browse these journals focusing on the adversity and hardships exlpained in Warriors Don’t Cry:

 

Chapter 1-3: The story starts off with a young girl named Melba describing her life. She explains how she knew from a very young age that her people were not always treated the same as the white people in her town. She notices that she always has to use restroom and water fountains that aren’t good quality. As Melba grows up, she is given the opportunity to integrate into a white school. She is a very brave and smart girl, so she decides to take this opportunity. The time comes for her to go to the new school, but she is afraid and nervous. Melba shows her strength by facing her fear and going to the school.

 

Chapter 4-6: In this section of reading Melba goes to the school for the first time. When she shows up to school for the very first time, she is faced with a hard decision. In front of her is an angry mob of people who want to prevent her from walking into the school and behind her is the safety of her neighborhood. To protect themselves her mom tells her to go to the car. They have to run away from the angry crowd to avoid violence. After this experience, Melba has to decide if she is willing to face adversity and continue the integration process. After a few words from her grandma, she decides that she won’t be a quitter.

 

Chapter 7-8: Melba is assigned a personal soldier to keep her safe in school. This is a very drastic step that needed to be taken to ensure safety. Even though her soldier, Danny, makes Melba feel safer in school, the other students and parents still mistreat her. Melba is brave and continues going to school. Those that love her and support integration rally around the children. So many people are doing their best to make integration successful. This process has not been easy on anyone, but Melba refuses to give up.

 

Chapter 9-11: This was a time of trial for Melba and those around her. The soldiers that have been with them for the first week of school are slowly leaving. This transition has caused more violent incidents to occur. Melba has been choked, had fire thrown on her, and acid put in her eyes. Melba handles these situations very well. She refrains from physical violence and holds her head high. Three of the African American students have a meeting with a few of the white students going to Central High School. This meeting is an attempt to bring unity and a common understanding to the children, but it does not solve any of the problems. None of the adults working at the school seem to care too much about helping keep these students safe.

 

Chapter 12-14: Melba’s friend Minnijean faces a lot of adversity in this section of reading. All of the students are taunted and bullied by the segregationist, but Minnijean is affected most by their actions. When she accidentally spills chili on some of the boys that were harassing her, she is suspended. After another uncalled for suspension, Minnijean is expelled. She is sent to a better school in New York while the rest of the eight go through extreme harassment. Melba has started to lose hope in making it through the school year. She does not know if she will be able to survive the bullying that she has to endure. Melba feels herself begin to just go through the motions and endure the pain without thinking of anything else.

 

Chapter 15-17: Melba makes her first white friend in think section of reading. When the bully, Andy, makes an attack, Link offers Melba a getaway car. Link continues to warn her about any upcoming attacks the segregationists have planned. His kind actions saved her from a lot of danger and potential death as those who oppose integration step up in the severity of their attempts to remove Melba from Central High School. Melba returns every harsh word and act of violence with a smile and a kind word. She works hard to keep these attacks from getting into her head. She knows the worst thing she could do is react to the attacks with violence. This will get her expelled.  

 

Chapter 18: As the story comes to a close, Melba shows her strength. She makes it all the way through one school at Central High School that was filled with hate, taunting, violence, and discrimination. While, at the time, this process seems to have many more negative effects than positive, Melba truly grew. She made it out stronger and even more of a fighter than she already was. Appreciation for her bravery is shown through the kindness and praise from the citizens who live in the north. Melba deals with even more pain after the first year of integration is concluded. Her grandmother dies and Central High refuses to integrate the next years. She never gives up, and she becomes a successful woman. Melba is resilient, and she handles her adersity with her head held high and strong demeanor.