5 Types of Adversity and Ways to Overcome Them

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Adversity Impacts Mental HealthOvercoming Adversity Can Make You StrongerEmotional AdversityMental AdversityPhysical AdversitySocial AdversityFinancial Adversity

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Adversity Impacts Mental Health

Overcoming Adversity Can Make You Stronger

Emotional Adversity

Mental Adversity

Physical Adversity

Social Adversity

Financial Adversity

Close

Everyone has experienced setbacks, hardships, and misfortune. Whether it’s not getting a job, experiencing a breakup, losing a loved one, or facing a health complication, adversity is something no one can avoid.

Without any adversity, life would be one straight and flat boring journey that prevents us from growing. This article explains the different types of adversity, how they can impact mental health, and ways to overcome them.

Annie Miller, Psychotherapist“So adversity can be a positive thing for the brain to learn to change and grow if we have the right support in place.”

Annie Miller, Psychotherapist

“So adversity can be a positive thing for the brain to learn to change and grow if we have the right support in place.”

How Adversity Impacts Mental Health

During rough moments, we don’t often think of how the experience impacts our health. We just want it to be over and move on. However, adversity has a significant effect on our mental health which can contribute to mental, psychological, and emotional issues.

Adversity Can Lead to Anxiety and Depression

“There are many studies linking adversity in childhood to mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, as well as chronic health problems in adulthood,” says Annie Miller, a licensed psychotherapist in private practice and the owner and founder ofDC Metro Sleep and Psychotherapy.

The Impact of Adversity“Adversity can disrupt one’s sense of stability and security, triggering feelings ofhopelessness,helplessness, and overwhelm. This happens because prolonged exposure to stress causes the brain to releasestress hormonesthat put us in a state of high alert,” says Miller.

The Impact of Adversity

“Adversity can disrupt one’s sense of stability and security, triggering feelings ofhopelessness,helplessness, and overwhelm. This happens because prolonged exposure to stress causes the brain to releasestress hormonesthat put us in a state of high alert,” says Miller.

Overcoming adversity with the right tools and support can make a person stronger and more capable as it creates an opportunity for learning that allows them to build resilience and improve their life.

Miller adds, “So adversity can be a positive thing for the brain to learn to change and grow if we have the right support in place.”

A Study Showed How People Cope With Adversity

A study interviewed resilient older adults with an average age of 71 and asked about how they dealt with the significant hardships in their life.

Results included three themes:

How Resilience Helps You Cope With Life’s Challenges

Humans are emotional creatures. From sadness, joy, and anger to guilt, we feel emotions through all sorts of experiences.

Emotional adversity is when difficult emotions consume our daily lives and become barriers to our ability to function properly.

Our childhood, past experiences, relationships, and environment shaped how we view and manage our emotions. If we are unable to process our emotions, it can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms that create further challenges to our well-being.

For instance, the inability to manage ourangerat someone may cause us to become violent, use verbally abusive words, and hurt ourselves and others.

How to Overcome Emotional Adversity

Acknowledging and accepting your emotions can be an effective way to overcome emotional adversity. “Recognize and accept the range of emotions you may be experiencing. Allow yourself to feel them without judgment orguilt. It’s OK to be upset, angry, or sad,” says Miller.

Mental adversity involves mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or trauma-related issues. An example ispost-traumatic stress disorder.

Miller explains, “[Mental adversity] can be seen in persistent feelings of sadness, worry, or fear, as well as changes in behavior, mood, or thought patterns. Individuals facing mental adversity may have difficulty concentrating, experiencesleep disturbances, or generally feel on edge and have trouble relaxing or motivating.”

How to Overcome Mental Adversity

Although it things may or may not improve any time soon, a change in mindset, shift in focus, or support from community can help you get through the difficult experience. Our brain’sneuroplasticityallows us to adapt and change through adversity.

If your mental adversity is limiting you from feeling content and fulfilled throughout the day, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Amental health professionalcan provide support, guidance and offer individualized treatment options for your needs.

Physical adversity is any issue related to the body’s ability to function optimally.Chronic pain,insomnia, digestive problems, physical injury, deafness, blindness, and obesity are examples of physical adversity.

How to Overcome Physical Adversity

Overcoming physical adversity differs from person to person depending on their situation. It’s important to take into consideration your specific needs and follow the guidance of your healthcare provider.

Taking care of your body such as eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise and sufficient sleep can be incredibly beneficial for your health and well-being. Mindfulness practices, meditation, and positive self-talk exercises can create a sense of calm and help you destress.

Miller, specializes in working with sleep disorders, chronic pain, and trauma and uses a variety of evidence-based techniques including CBT-i for insomnia,EMDRfor trauma, and PRT (pain reprocessing therapy) for chronic pain says, “Telling yourself that it may be hard right now, but you’re strong and you can get through sends a hopeful message to your brain abouthealing.”

How to Heal From Trauma

How to Overcome Social Adversity

One of the ways to overcome social adversity is to distance yourself from andset boundarieswith those who are causing you harm.

Surround yourself with those who uplift you, who treat you with respect and kindness, and who support and encourage your well-being.

A four-wave prospective year-long study asked participants about the most significant adverse events in their life, engagement with wise reasoning, and self-distancing. The study showed that working through adversity does not increase wisdom, but it does affect how you reflect on the adverse experience.

Additionally, participants who reported self-distancing more from social conflict were more likely to have sustained wisdom compared to those who reported self-distancing less from social conflict.

The researchers suggested that it may be related to the mechanisms involved with how we process adversity including deliberativeruminationand meaning-making.

Financial adversity involvesstress associated with moneyand/or not being able to pay for your necessary basic needs.

Some examples include job loss, career issues, unexpected expenses, and loss of income due to other circumstances such as a medical condition, gambling addiction, or the death of a loved one.

How to Overcome Financial Adversity

Financial adversity is a common source of stress for many people. It’s important to identify the problems and understand your needs and your relationship with money. It may be helpful tocreate realistic goals, develop a plan, set a budget, and stick to it. That being said, capitalism can be exhausting and the values and beliefs that are upheld in Western society when it comes to money can be challenging on many levels.

Be patient with yourself during the process and remember to celebrate small victories along the way.

Summary

If the adversity in your life feels overwhelming and it’s difficult to carry out your daily usual routine, it’s crucial to seek professional mental health help. They can help you identify coping mechanisms, manage trauma and heal from the experiences.

‘Time Heals All Wounds:’ Is There Any Truth to This?

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Manning LK, Bouchard L.Encounters with adversity: a framework for understanding resilience in later life.Aging Ment Health. 2020;24(7):1108–1115.Dorfman A, Moscovitch DA, Chopik WJ, Grossmann I.None the wiser: Year-long longitudinal study on effects of adversity on wisdom.Eur J Pers. 2022;36(4):559–575.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Manning LK, Bouchard L.Encounters with adversity: a framework for understanding resilience in later life.Aging Ment Health. 2020;24(7):1108–1115.Dorfman A, Moscovitch DA, Chopik WJ, Grossmann I.None the wiser: Year-long longitudinal study on effects of adversity on wisdom.Eur J Pers. 2022;36(4):559–575.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Manning LK, Bouchard L.Encounters with adversity: a framework for understanding resilience in later life.Aging Ment Health. 2020;24(7):1108–1115.Dorfman A, Moscovitch DA, Chopik WJ, Grossmann I.None the wiser: Year-long longitudinal study on effects of adversity on wisdom.Eur J Pers. 2022;36(4):559–575.

Manning LK, Bouchard L.Encounters with adversity: a framework for understanding resilience in later life.Aging Ment Health. 2020;24(7):1108–1115.

Dorfman A, Moscovitch DA, Chopik WJ, Grossmann I.None the wiser: Year-long longitudinal study on effects of adversity on wisdom.Eur J Pers. 2022;36(4):559–575.

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