Hard Times Make You Strong: 7 Ways How

I’ve been through several hard times—feeling burned out, struggling with low confidence, losing my sense of purpose, going through a breakup, and even being completely broke.

And the funny thing I’ve noticed is hard times feel awful at the moment, but when they’re over, they actually feel good.

Hardships aren’t fun. I’m not denying that. But they do have a strange power to change us for the better. They push us out of our comfort zones and force us to learn, adapt, and grow. It’s during these moments that we find out who we really are and what we are capable of.

Research found that 70% of survivors of various forms of trauma experience some positive change in at least one area of life. So, hard times are good for us. And here are seven ways how tough times make us stronger and better human beings.

7 Ways How Hard Times Make You Strong

1. They Help You Grow

If you listen to the stories of successful people, you’ll notice a common pattern: they often credit their hard times for shaping who they are. The world only sees their success, not the struggle behind it.

When bad things happen to you—like losing your job, failing in business, or being in debt—they bring out something powerful in you. The pressure forces you to work harder, improve your skills, push your limits, and grow. You don’t have any choice, so you become more focused and creative to solve the problems in front of you.

As a result, you realize who you really are. You discover abilities you didn’t know you had and build the resilience to face any difficulty. In the end, you come out stronger. This brings us to the next point…

2. You Become Mentally Tough

Going through hard times is like lifting weights in the gym. It may be uncomfortable and heavy, but it makes you stronger.

The setbacks, the losses, and the disappointments build your mental muscles. They force you to adapt, get used to the discomfort, and become mentally strong. This way, you become capable of handling whatever life throws your way. That’s how tough times create strong men.

Most importantly, once you see the worst things, bad things won’t surprise you anymore. Once you go through the hardest times, everything else will seem easy. It’s simple relativity.

3. Your Confidence Increases

Every time you solve a problem that seems difficult or handle the pressure that feels overwhelming or face fears that hold you back, you prove to yourself that you’re more capable than you thought.

Since you’ve already been through the worst, you begin to see yourself as someone who can overcome obstacles. You know deep down that you can face whatever life throws at you, which gives you an unusual kind of confidence.

This increased confidence spreads into other parts of your life. You might take on new challenges at work, follow your passions more boldly, or simply feel more at ease with yourself.

4. You Develop Empathy

I spent two tough years preparing for an engineering exam. I felt lost, doubted myself, and went through a lot of pain during that time. It wasn’t easy, but looking back, I see how those struggles made me more compassionate and understanding.

If you’ve never felt pain, you can’t truly understand someone else’s pain. But once you’ve been there, once you know how it feels, you become more patient and supportive when someone else is going through a hard time.

This empathy strengthens your relationships. When you can truly understand someone’s feelings and emotions, you connect on a deeper level. And that’s how hard times make you a better person- a better family member, partner, friend, neighbor, and human being.

5. They Make You Humble

Success boosts ego. When we win, and everything goes well, we start to think we’ve it all figured out, that we’re invincible.

But hard times have a way of humbling us. They remind us that nothing is permanent, not even the good times. They remind us that we’re not in control of everything and that life can throw us curveballs when we least expect them.

This makes us down to earth. It helps us let go of our egos, try new things, accept our mistakes, ask for help, and learn from others.

6. You Learn to Appreciate Good Times

What would happen if you ate your favorite dessert every day? At first, it would feel great. But after a few weeks, it would start to lose its flavor.

Why? Because you would get used to it, and it won’t be special anymore.

Similarly, if life was always rainbows and butterflies, we would take it for granted, it would become boring, and there would be no fun in it. (Believe me, I’ve already experienced it.)

It’s those hard times that create the contrast and help us appreciate the good times. When you’ve been through hardships, you begin to value the small joys in life even more.

7. They Make Your Life Adventurous

A life without challenges would be pretty boring—like reading a book with no plot twists or villains. It might feel nice for a while, but eventually, you’d crave a little excitement.

Hard times, as difficult as they are, make your life more adventurous. The failures, heartbreaks, struggles, loneliness, self-doubt, uncertainty, and losses are the twists that make your story interesting.

When you’re 85, you’ll wish to have more crazy stories. They’ll remind you that you truly lived your life and there is nothing to regret. When you remember your stories of hardships, an unusual smile will spread across your face, and you’ll feel unbridled joy and pride.

Summing Up

Hard times create strong men and women. And now you know why tough times are good for you. So if you’re going through a difficult phase, you should celebrate it. Because it’s basically your character development phase.