Published in the latest issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology a study found that people with a history of some life-time difficutiles showed less distress and had a greater satisfaction with there lives when compared to people who cruised through life with minimal challenges.
People who experiaced adversity have fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress and are able to handle new stresses easier then there counter-parts. Although the article also said that those who have been overwhelmed with adversity can develope long term feelings of hopelessness. It really does depend on how an individual interprets there situation.
Anyway I know this sounds boring but I just thought it was interesting. When I read it I got jazzed that because I have gone through some hard times it just means I'm more resilient having gone through it.
Also I thought of my grandmother who was held in a work camp for 6 years in Poland during WWII. After she was liberated from the camp she came to America and started a whole new life. She rarely looked back to mope about what happened and focused on improving the lives of her children and grandchildren. When I read this study I thought wow even though my grandmother was overwhelmed by adversity she did not lose hope that things can change and improve for the better.
So everytime I face a new challenge or adversity I think to myself, "There is always hope for a posative outcome."