8 tips to help when life doesn’t go to plan

8-tips-to-help-when-life-doesnt-go-to-plan

Life doesn’t always go to plan. For all of the good times, there are bad times too. Times when we’re hurt and sad. When we’re lonely. When life has derailed and it all seems too much. While we can’t always control others actions or the world around us, what we can control how we react and how we treat ourselves. I spent years struggling with depression, and it took me years to realise just how important it was to be kind to myself, to practice self-love when I was feeling my worst. While thankfully I’ve been depression free for years, there are still times when things don’t go how I hope and I need to remember to be a little kinder to myself.

1 | Reach out – my instinct is always to bottle up my feelings, or whatever is bothering me. Internalising it only makes it feel worse, sitting and dwelling on your problems is a sure fire way to make yourself feel worse. When something goes wrong, reach out to a friend – that old adage “a problem shared is a problem halved” really is true. Even if they can’t help fix whatever is wrong, they can offer comfort and a different perspective.

2 | It’s OK to cry – if you need/want to cry, then cry. Don’t try and hold it in. You should never be ashamed of crying, sometimes our bodies need that release. Pop on a weepie movie and let the tears flow.

3 | Let go – don’t feel bad if you can’t keep up your normal pace of life. Drop anything that isn’t absolutely vital, struggling to keep on top of everything when you’re not feeling great or life is hard, is only going to make you feel worse when you don’t manage to do everything. Drop the to-do list, make a list of the bare essentials that really have to be done and don’t feel guilty for dropping a few balls.

4 | Take it one day at a time – sometimes thinking about the next week, month or year is so overwhelming it makes us feel worse. In times of stress, the best thing you can do is take it one day at a time. Try not to worry about next week and just focus on doing whatever it is you need to do to get through that day.

5 | Sleep & Eat – two of the best things you can do for yourself is to sleep if you can and feed your body healthy foods. Personally, in times of stress or sadness, my appetite always vanishes and my insomnia is awful.  Choosing nutrient-rich food, even if you don’t feel hungry, will make you feel better – smoothies are a good way of getting lots of nutrients easily. Find ways to help yourself sleep – I find meditating really helps me switch off my mind enough to get a little sleep – I really love the Headspace app for this.

6 | Pamper yourself – It’s amazing how much of a difference taking a little extra care of yourself can make. A long, hot soak in a bubble bath. A face mask or manicure can really make you feel a little better.

7 | Write it out – one thing I really find helpful, is to write down all my thoughts. Even if they make no sense, just getting it all out on paper means that my head doesn’t have to remember all of those thoughts. Let yourself write everything you are thinking, with no censoring. Looking back over it later on, can help you identify thoughts that are not valid or even true.

8 | Get out of the house – you might not feel like leaving the house ever again, and the thought of seeing other people might not appeal. But a change of scene is always a good idea. Sitting home, staring at the same walls, with no company is the perfect recipe for making yourself feel even worse. Go visit a friend, talk a walk or just grab a coffee.

I’m not saying any of these steps will magically make the hurt go away, or make life be back as it should. But they will help you get through the rough patch much easier than letting yourself unravel completely. Taking care of your body and mind helps to make you that little bit stronger. And, hopefully, one day you’ll feel like yourself again.

photo credit

12 Comments

  1. Slummy single mummy

    September 22, 2016 at 12:04

    These are all great tips. It’s so true about having a cry – sometimes you start crying and can’t imagine feeling worse, and then you cry, and nothing really changes, but thee is often a subtle shift – you feel a little bit of relief, a lessening of the tension. Rarely do you feel worse after a good cry!

  2. Alison

    September 22, 2016 at 12:42

    Really sensible tips here Polly. I keep meaning to download the Headspace app – you’ve prompted me to do so xx

  3. Molly

    September 22, 2016 at 14:18

    Really great tips Polly. Hope you’re OK. It’s so easy to forget the importance of talking and reaching out when things go wrong – this is invaluable advice. x

  4. Penny

    September 22, 2016 at 16:10

    Brilliant advice Polly. Hope all is well with you. I’m going to try a couple of these as I can feel mauled falling into a bit of an under the weather rut xxx

  5. Alice

    September 22, 2016 at 17:40

    This is great advice, Polly. I especially think writing things down and taking time to look after yourself is very important. I hope you’re doing OK my lovely xxxx

  6. Lori

    September 22, 2016 at 23:23

    Great tips here, all of the very nuturing and needed to take care of yourself. Hope you doing ok lovely lady. x

  7. Kathryn

    September 23, 2016 at 20:19

    I hope you’re following all of the above Polly – be kind to yourself xx

  8. Katie @mummydaddyme

    September 26, 2016 at 22:16

    These things are all so important. I am thinking of you lots Polly and I hope you are doing ok. Lots of love to you. x

  9. Lottie | Oyster & Pearl

    September 29, 2016 at 10:48

    Really good advice. Hope you’re doing okay xxx

  10. Gill Crawshaw

    September 29, 2016 at 11:44

    Oh lovely Polly, sending lots of love xx

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.