Whenever I go through a rough time, I try to observe my reaction to it and adjust my actions accordingly. If I start getting bogged down in misery and negativity, then I’ll make extra efforts to do things that I find enjoyable and healing. For example, I usually bring food from home to eat on my lunch break at work. This helps me save money, gives me more time to enjoy my break, and is probably healthier than eating out. On difficult days, however, I’ll go out to a restaurant and order some food I love. That allows me to have something that makes sense on a day where nothing else does and gives me some distance from the madness. Looking forward to that small change and enjoying it when it arrives can turn my day around and make it easier for me to get through the rest of it.
I’m most vulnerable to getting lost in negativity when I’m at home. Since I’m on my own time there and can withdraw from other people and events, it’s harder to distract myself from my thoughts. If I catch myself in time, I can focus on getting myself back on track before it’s too late; if I’m already in a bad mood, that becomes much more difficult and makes me more likely to lose my way for a while. This is where continuing with my normal routines helps me. Taking care of myself makes it much easier to get through the difficult times than giving into the negativity and shutting down. Sometimes a simple shower is enough to get me out of my head for a while and make me feel better. As long as I have something familiar around me and can work on my regular routines, I never stay down for long.
Ultimately, I try to focus on what I can do instead of what I can’t do. Looking for solutions keeps my sights set on something positive and prevents me from getting lost in my problems. I can remember several occasions in which I thought there was no hope of improvement only to find one or more ways to improve my situation, often within the same day. It still sometimes takes a while for my emotions to settle, but I think getting involved in something beneficial and productive helps me feel better faster. Plus keeping some positive momentum going keeps me on track; if I sink into negativity for a long time, it’s much harder to get started again. That’s what I’ve found helpful for working through tough times and I hope you find some of this useful as well.