Throughout our lives, we’ll all face situations and experiences that will make us upset, unhinge our plans, cause general inconvenience – basically things that have us yelling ‘WHY ME?’
These things could be situations that could be deemed small in the grand scheme of things – being in a traffic jam on the way to work, losing a favourite earring. Or they could be bigger, such as a relationship breakup or losing a job. While all these things can be difficult to process in their own ways, it’s essential that we have the tools to cope when they happen.
In this post, I’ll be sharing the best ways to deal with the times where life seems to be throwing you a curveball, so that you can get back on your feet and feel okay again as soon as possible.
Evaluate The Situation
Take a step back and think about what has just happened. Sometimes, by talking yourself through a situation, it can help to give you more clarity and realise that it isn’t that big of a deal anyway.
Acknowledge How You’re Feeling
Often, the best way to make yourself feel instantly better when you’re feeling down is to recognise the feelings, and let yourself feel them. Brushing feelings under the carpet or scolding yourself for feeling a certain way is a surefire way to intensify and prolong the feeling.
Process Your Emotions In Your Own Way
Find a way to let out your emotions. This could mean engaging in a physical activity such as running or boxing – or something more gentle and soothing, like yoga. If you like to mediate then spend some moments alone to work through your feelings, or talk to someone close to you who will comfort you. Or, just have a good cry or shout!
Realise You’re Not The Only One Dealing With This
When we’re going through something difficult, it’s normal to think that we’re the only person ever to experience it, and that’s true in the sense that no one can experience something from the exact same perspective as you. But in truth, people have bad experiences and setbacks everyday and have overcome them. This can be comforting to know when you feel like you’ll never get through something.
Be Truthful About What’s Really Upsetting You
Most of the time, when we’re upset about something, we’re not actually upset about that thing, but actually something deeper that’s been bothering us. For example, if your partner doesn’t tidy up their bedside table when you asked them to do it a week ago, yes you’re annoyed about the mess, but it suggests that maybe you’re feelings aren’t being heard properly. Once you find the real reason, you can work through it.
Uncover What You Can Learn From The Situation
Every situation can be a learning curve, even though it’s hard to realise that when you’re going through a particularly bad experience. There’s always something to take from it – maybe a realisation about what you need to work on personally, a better understanding of your needs, or clarity on a bigger situation. It’s also comforting to know that it is often through setbacks that you really start to improve your life through self analysis and discovery.
Plan Your Next Actions
Give yourself enough time to wallow in your feelings or vent your emotions, but then get yourself ready to move on. Work out what you can do next, and in some cases, what you can do to make sure a setback is avoided in the future.
I hope you’ve found this post helpful!
Lots of love,
Natalie
xxx
