11 Strategies to Help You Through Life's Tough Moments
How many times have you felt depressed because things were not going the way you had hoped, because lately it seemed like the world was against you, or because you felt like you lift a finger and everything starts going wrong for you? Then you wonder, where do I find my strength? We have all experienced those feelings of failure, of defeat, of not finding a meaning to our lives on many different occasions.
The important thing, at the end of the day, is not that we feel the laziness and the heaviness produced by these feelings, but rather what we do with these. So, how can we better handle these negative emotions, regardless of their source?
It is not a simple task and so to help you, we would like to share these 11 ideas that could be of use to you:
- Focus on the positive things in your life. Surely you have good things in your life; it may be that right now you’re just being blinded by negativity. A good way to refocus on the positive is by writing a list of all the positive things in your life. Whenever you are feeling bad, take out your personal list and read it.
- There is no misfortune that lasts a hundred years. If something bad is happening to you right now, make sure you do not forget that nothing is forever: neither happiness, nor sadness, nor misfortune. Our personal story goes on, being shaped by small pieces with many different colors: this is how life is.
- Tomorrow is a new day. Whenever you have one of those disastrous days, think: “Tomorrow is a new day.” This will give you profound relief.
- The wise recognize their mistakes and fix them. If you have made a mess of things at work, with your partner or with a friend, and instead of just dwelling on the matter, ask for forgiveness and give them a hug. Sometimes it’s as simple as that and the problem is solved.
- Surround yourself with people who bring positive things to your life. It is proven that those who surround themselves with positive people see everything in a different light. Talk about your problems; sometimes a friend who puts the problem into perspective for you and makes you laugh is enough to solve the problem.
- Do not look for outside solutions, but rather ones inside of you. You are the one who has the power to change your mind and therefore to see what is happening to you in a different way.
- Two in distress make sorrow less. In a certain way, seeing that we are not the only ones who have had bad or negative things happen to them helps us to be less dramatic towards ourselves and these things in our lives.
- Do your favorite activity. The thing is, we often love staying on the sofa ruminating our problems. Why don’t we get dressed and use any excuse to take to the streets, for example, and get the energy and vitamins that the sun offers us? As soon as you put your body in motion and give yourself a bit of fresh air and feel the sun on your face, you will see that everything has a different tone.
- Make use of physical exercise. Incorporate some kind of physical activity like dancing or jogging at least 3 times a week and practice meditation before going to bed. Keep up your normal rhythm, but make an effort to incorporate it into your life.
- Keep an eye on your interior monologue. “I can’t,” “I have such bad luck,” “Nothing ever goes right for me”… Everything is relative in this life, or as they say, “In this treacherous world, nothing is true nor deceit, all is tainted by the lens through which we see it.” Change this discourse with positive phrases like “Tomorrow will be better,” “I’m going to be so happy when I get through this with the help of my inner strength,” “This happened to me so that I would mature. Everything happens for a reason.”
- Believe in yourself, be persistent, and trust that your actions will help you. Things often change along the way, as we keep doing things by trial and error. It is an exercise in approximation that does not have to discourage you. To the contrary, you have the challenge of learning to enjoy it.
Life is not easy. Did anyone ever tell you that it would be? However, our inner strength can help us a lot. We have to learn to manage our emotional intelligence. We wish you all the strength and energy in the world, that you may know that everything will turn out and “when one door closes, another one opens for you.”
