11 Ways to Get Up When Life Knocks You Down
Sometimes life hits us fast and hard and knocks us off our feet for a while.
Life can be a complex journey with many ups and downs. It is filled with both challenges and accomplishments.
No one is successful at everything, just as no one fails at everything. We all have at least one thing we are or can be good at doing. However, when we go through challenging phases, we often dwell more on the bad experiences and end up feeling self-loathing and judgmental.
Pitfalls are a part of life, whether we like it or not. What matters is that we don’t bury ourselves in the grungy old pit and decide to spend the rest of our lives there. We surely need time to come to terms with the changes that come from difficulties in life, but once the grieving phase is over, it’s important to move on. When life knocks you down, there are always two choices: Get up and move on or stay in that dark pit and live the rest of your life with resentment and regret. The latter will take you nowhere and things will probably get worse with time.
So, the best option we have is to pick up the broken pieces and start moving forward again. If you’re in the middle of one of these tough times, here are some ideas that can not only help you survive, but thrive as well.
1. Take a break
Sometimes, we need breaks from things that have been parts of our lives for a long time. It could be because we need to learn something new or take a completely different direction. Life is not as random as it seems; there is always a reason why things happen. So, take a break to clear up your mind. It’ll help you understand part of, if not the whole picture.
Read Also: 23 Facts About Love That Will Definitely Blow Your Mind
2. Accept the reality of your situation
It’s easy to deny or rationalize things when you’re facing a problem. This is the time to get real with yourself– no more denial or wishful thinking that it will get better. See the situation for what it really is and start to take action to deal with it.
3. Don’t generalize
When hit with bad news (job loss, a break-up, financial troubles), it can seem that Everything in your life has soured. Stay focused on the many good things happening for you. It is helpful to keep a daily gratitude journal to keep things positive.
4. Avoid Overthinking
Overthinking has helped no one in this world. Someone once wisely said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy but takes you nowhere.” In fact, overthinking creates problems that didn’t even exist in the first place.
Try to engage your mind in healthy activities. Do things that make you feel good and don’t allow your mind to wander. Focus on the present and learn to accept what is. Understand that you can’t control everything. Learn to trust yourself, even in the most difficult situations and know that, eventually, everything will fall into place.
5. Keep up your healthy routines
Your emotional reserves will be replenished through physical well-being (exercise, adequate sleep, proper nutrition).
6. Write it out
Expressing your thoughts and feelings in a journal will help to process them and gain clarity.
7. Humor Will Help You Get By
Nobody said that by being sad and resentful, things will improve or become as you wish them to be. So, you might as well laugh at your troubles. If you made a mistake, accept it and allow sh*t to happen because few years down the line, when you share stories with your children or a group of friends, you will most likely end up laughing at them. They won’t sound as horrible as they might appear right now. You will laugh at how silly you were for taking everything so seriously.
Read Also: 9 Undeniable Signs Your Guy is Husband Material
8. Let it go
Holding tightly to a belief, behavior, or material object only drains your energy and narrows your focus onto that object. Allow yourself the freedom of releasing your tight emotional grasp on these things and you’ll soon find much more space in which to face the rough times in your life.
9. Cherish The Good Old Memories
Some memories are wonderful to reflect on and others, not so much. Use this time to reflect on the past, how far you have come and how far you have to go.
Cherish the old times, be grateful for all the opportunities you have had in the past and for everything you have experienced in this world so far. Being grateful attracts more positive energy and will help you bounce back up with ease.
10. Remember that you’ve made it through tough times before
It’s funny how we humans are. Even though we’ve experienced crises in the past, it always seems that the one in front of us is the biggest and worst one ever. But it’s a really helpful exercise to sit for a minute and think about tough times you’ve been through before.
Notice how you made it through that past event even though you may have thought at the time that you wouldn’t. So remember that you’re going to get through this one, too.
11. Learn from a kaleidoscope
When you look through a kaleidoscope, you see a beautiful pattern. It’s so pretty, you may not want to change it.
But, eventually, you have to turn the dial. Suddenly there is a chaotic jumble in front of your eyes but then, magically, another beautiful pattern emerges. Life can be like this, too. So remember when things are jumbled in your life that they may be actually forming a brand new, beautiful image.
