It's not always easy to stay strong, sometimes the world just feels too big and heavy. And yet, we should never forget that every cloud has a silver lining - because it is often our weakest moments that spawn our greatest strenghts.
There are days when all the odds seem to be against us, we feel overwhelmed and wronged, paralyzed and unable to deal with all the chaos around us. Sometimes, we simply got up on the wrong side of bed and are grumpy for no specific reason.
IT IS NOT ALL THAT BAD
Even if there is no magical medicine that will make all your troubles go away in the blink of an eye, there are some things you can do to facilitate your life. Most important is that you try to find the roots of your negative feelings as well as a suitable way to deal with them, so that you are prepared whenever you're having a bad day.
1) Try to find the positive aspects
Easier said than done. And yet, almost every situation has its good aspects, too. Even if this may only mean that you will know better next time. So, take some minutes as well as a pen and some paper and think about what could be positive about this rather shitty situation you're in right now. What can you learn from it, or is there even a slight chance that it is not as bad as it seems? Writing it down helps you escape the vicious circle and opens your mind for a new point of view.
As soon as you find only one tiny upside in this whole disaster, you can hold on to it and use it to guide you through this situation you're stuck in.
2) Allow yourself to feel bad
Contrary to what TV and social media make us believe, we do not have to be happy all the time. Flowers need rain to grow, and so do we. The more we keep fighting against negative emotions, the deeper we're dragging ourselves into unwanted misery. Instead, we should try to embrace the pain and the sadness and allow ourselves to suffer for some time. Only if we feel the emotion fully and let it express itself properly, we will be able to let it go. There is no shame in being down and frustrated every now and then - quite the contrary! It is a sign of strength if you are able to allow yourself to be yourself, including all your ups and downs. It is as simple as that.
3) Distraction can work wonders
We should by no means deny our negative feelings, but sometimes we simply need a moment of grief to recover properly. So if you really feel the need and don't see any other solution, go grab the family size package of chips and / or chocolate ice cream, hide under the covers on your couch and let yourself be sprinkled by some nonsense TV shows. You can also burst into tears if you feel like it, or distract yourself with some workout, a good book, your favorite good mood music or whatever could help to take your mind off your problems, if only for a little while. Like this, you will have a rested mind to deal with what's bothering you afterwards.
4) Procrastination is the thief of time
I love this expression, because it is so true! If there is a particular task that's bothering you and giving you a hard time, postponing it won't make the unpleasant feeling go away on its own. Better tackle it right away to gain back your peace of mind as soon as possible. There are different techniques that can help you get things done, but if you are in a rather bad and desperate mood already, one of the most helpful things is to define a reward. Something to look forward to that makes the way to get there less hard. So, stop thinking and get started! The sooner you do so, the sooner the wonderful and well-deserved feeling of relief will set in.
5) Talk about it
In most cases, it's not the circumstances that are negative, but our way to look at them and the emotions we are adding to the whole story. Talking to a friend, a colleague or a family member about what's bothering you can be quite enlightening. Simply by saying things out loud, you are automatically putting your thoughts and ideas into order - if you're lucky, your interlocutor will also speak his mind, give some advice and thus offer you a brand new perspective that might change the way you see the current horror scenario instantly and for the better. Never forget: you're not alone, even if it feels this way sometimes!