There are times in life when it’s hard to look on the bright side or remember that things are always changing. Whether you’ve been through a bad breakup, had disappointing career news or you simply feel stuck in a rut, it can be hard to see a way through the sadness and frustration. However, there are ways to nurture yourself, even when things seem bleak.
Although getting motivated or being proactive can seem like an uphill battle when you’re in a spiral of despair, you don’t have to embrace major life changes right now. Instead, these small yet effective steps will help you to move forward when you feel like you’ll never be happy again:
Be Kind to Yourself
We tend to be far harsher to ourselves than we are to anyone else, which rarely has a positive impact on our mood or well-being. Take the time to consciously notice every time you think or say something negative about yourself and you’ll be surprised at just tough on yourself you are.
Once you’re aware of negative self-talk, you can begin to make changes to the way you evaluate your efforts, achievements, and accomplishments. Imagining yourself talking to a friend or family member, instead of yourself, can be a good place to start. You’ll show yourself the same level of kindness and compassion that you show to others and, by doing so, you can begin to change the way you feel.
Go for a Health Checkup
Although life events and circumstances can leave you feeling down, underlying health conditions can also have a major impact on your mood, outlook, and energy levels. Unbalanced hormones could leave you battling with anxiety, for example, while a thyroid disorder could lead to fatigue and low moods. Low iron levels can also lead to significant feelings of depression, as can many other common, and often easy to treat, health issues.
If you’ve noticed a change in your outlook or you don’t seem to be able to get yourself out of a rut, it’s well worth making an appointment with your doctor. They’ll be able to run tests to determine whether any underlying conditions could be contributing to your feelings and refer you for additional help if you’d like it. Then, it’s just a matter of taking your medication and doing some of the other things in this post to get your mood back to where you would like it to be.
Spend Time Outdoors
When you’re not feeling your best, it’s tempting to spend more time indoors, but this isn’t always the most effective way to feel better. Spending time outdoors can increase your vitamin D levels while being amongst nature is known to have a positive effect on mood. Whether you go for a hike or simply spend some time sitting in the garden, slap on some sunscreen and let the great outdoors work its magic.
Declutter your space
If you’re the kind of person who lives in chaos with a lot of mess and clutter around you, the simple act of cleaning up, organizing your stuff, and putting some order back into your life can really make a huge amount of difference to your mood, It’s a simple project to complete. But it will make you feel just as satisfied as doing something bigger, and because your space is less cluttered, your mind is likely to be less cluttered too. When you can relax and be peaceful, that is when happiness can find you.
Talk to Someone
Talking to someone about your feelings or issues in your life can be a great way to access the support you need. Furthermore, when you’re able to talk to someone in confidence, you can often find solutions that have previously eluded you.
While confiding in family and friends can be beneficial, talking to a therapist can be even better. When you meet with professional psychiatrists and psychotherapists, like the team at sunnysideclinic.com.au, you can determine what type of treatment will be most effective for you. By learning new techniques, you can manage your emotions more effectively and begin to see a bright future ahead.
Try to Be Social
When you’re filled with despair or struggling to get through the day, the last thing you want to do is attend social events or pretend to be happy for the sake of other people. However, isolating yourself can actually exacerbate your feelings, rather than help them. If you feel able to, try and maintain the relationships you have by staying in contact with friends and family members. Even regular video calls, emails, or instant messages can be a great way to be social when you’re not feeling particularly fun or lively.
Meditate
Meditation can truly transform your life. A lot of people are very skeptical of its ability to improve mental wellbeing, but it really can work. Basically, when you learn to meditate, you learn how to give yourself space from all of those nagging negative thoughts that are constantly dragging you down. Not only do you get a bit of peace from them, but you actually learn how to watch them ignore them, and then let them go, which means that you can take back control and stop letting your mind make you feel so down.
Take Back Control of Your Life
When you can’t envision yourself ever being happy again, it’s easy to assume there’s no point in trying to make positive changes in your life. By making small modifications to your routine, however, you can lay the foundations for a more positive outlook, even if you’re not quite there yet.
From taking a short walk every day to spending 10 minutes meditating, there are a variety of small goals you can set yourself to add structure to your day and enhance your well-being. As you begin to incorporate more healthy habits into your day-to-day routine and feel the benefit they’re having on you, you’ll feel more in control, more powerful, and infinitely more hopeful.
