How to Get Through a Tough Day? Do these 5 Incredible Tips!
When life becomes too difficult: techniques for getting through each day with mindfulness
“Remember the scent of coffee; the way sunshine reflects off a window; the sound of your favorite person laughing; the sensation you get when a song you love comes on; the color of the sky at twilight; and the fact that we are all here to look out for one another if the day becomes challenging.”
~Nanea Hoffman
Right now I am completely spent. Incomparably superior than.
I’ve taken on more work than I can easily do in the time that I have available, I’ve been feeling under the weather for a while, and my kid, who is 18 months old, is going through yet another sleep regression.
Whether I’m working or taking care of him, I’m pretty much constantly doing something, and that goes for seven days a week.
And much like many of us, I feel that I have very few avenues for enjoyment and relaxation, even if I do find the opportunity to do so, given the limits that the epidemic imposes on our lives.
I am well aware that I do not have many valid grounds for complaint. I, along with the individuals I care about, are in a good state of health.
My requirements for bare existence are all satisfied. And there is much that I am grateful for. However, each day seems to become harder and more daunting.
Perhaps you can sympathize, and perhaps the situation is much more difficult for you.
It’s possible that you’ve been isolated for such a long time that it’s affecting your mental health.
Or maybe you’ve just been let go from your job or have had your hours reduced and are scrambling to figure out how you’ll be able to continue paying your payments.
Or maybe you are taking care of a sick family member or friend, and the weight of this obligation seems like it is too much for you to bear.
I completely understand how you feel if you’re in a state of being overwhelmed right now, whether you’re feeling annoyed and exhausted or like you’ve reached the end of your tether.
I do so very much. To add insult to injury, I don’t have any easy solutions to those very real issues, some of which may seem to be intractable.
Nevertheless, I can tell with certainty that things aren’t always what they seem to be.
There are a few things that each of us can do to assist ourselves in making it through today, and this is true regardless of what the future holds for us.
We have not lost our minds. As a result, we experience less stress, have a greater sense of perspective, and are better equipped to adapt to whatever the future may hold.
When it seems as if everything is too much, I try to tackle the day in the following attentive ways:
1. Only take on what you can successfully do without switching gears.
When I have a lot of tasks to accomplish at once, I always get the feeling that I’m not very good at any of them, and as a result, I always get caught up in my thoughts, evaluating both my performance and my intentions.
This makes it very difficult for me to be present in the moment.
Even though some of the chores, like spending time with my kid or writing, have the potential to be joyful in other contexts, when I have overlapping responsibilities, I find that I cannot enjoy any of them.
It’s almost as if I have twenty tabs open in my thoughts right now, each of which is playing music, video snippets, or episodes from Netflix all at the same time. All positive experiences, but not all at once, please!
Even in normal times, people, especially particularly parents, have to multitask since there is simply so much to do between taking care of the children, maintaining the household, and going to real job.
Nevertheless, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can delegate many tasks to others and just let go of some concerns. The dishes can wait till I finish eating.
Or you might prepare a meal that does not need cooking. Or I could skip doing some of the little things that I’d want to accomplish but that aren’t really necessary for this website.
Those who strive for perfection will find this task difficult. We want to believe that we are capable of everything and that we are good at whatever we do.
And when we are unable to, we are really harsh on ourselves.
But I’ve trained myself to remind myself that if I can’t realistically do everything that’s on my to-do list by the end of the day, the issue isn’t me; it’s the amount of work that I have to do.
Take care of one task at a time.
If you feel like you can’t, take a moment to think about whether or not that’s true, or if you just can’t stop thinking about how busy you are, maybe because it makes you feel like you’re getting things done, or because it gives you a sense of control, or because it helps you avoid feelings you don’t want to face.
2. Give yourself permission to take pleasure in the little things.
Although it may seem trite, and I am well aware that it does, this truly is a godsend.
When your days seem stressful, those tiny moments may go a long way toward establishing a sense of balance, even if life isn’t very balanced right now.
This is true even if the sensation of balance doesn’t reflect reality.
Instead of scrolling and swiping your way through your beverage, why not take the extra five minutes to taste your cup of tea or coffee?
Move your body to the beat of your favorite song and sing along, giving each word the full emotional weight it deserves.
Spend a little period of time each night gazing at the moon and stars, and allow yourself to get engrossed in the splendor of the evening and the immensity of the cosmos.
The other night, after a particularly trying encounter with my kid, I glanced up at the moon and observed that it seemed as if someone had painted it.
It was full and much more orange than it usually is, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it look quite that gorgeous before. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight.
Therefore, I stared. I didn’t make a conscious effort to silence my thoughts; I simply did so naturally since the moment was so breathtaking.
And after a few minutes, I had a sense of serenity.
I had meditated without even attempting to by just enjoying something that I may have otherwise overlooked despite the fact that it was enormous and right there in the sky for me to see.
Spend a little time being impressed by something that won’t provide you with pleasure until you make a deliberate decision to concentrate on it.
Look out for the things you miss because you’re in such a hurry. Listen intently to the things that you are unable to hear when you are anxious.
Get yourself so engrossed in your senses that everything else appears to halt for a minute, even when it’s not really the case that anything else is happening.
Therefore, it is up to us to carry out the action.
3. If you find yourself dwelling on the past or lamenting the present, taking stock of the things you do well in the here and now might help.
When we dwell on tough times from the past or anticipate more challenging times in the future, it makes terrible times an immeasurably more challenging experience.
When we allow ourselves to think defeatist ideas, though, our brains become like magnets, drawing in all kind of unfavorable experiences.
It is as if we have put on a hazy filter and are examining the past, present, and future with a gloomy and disheartening gaze.
Focusing on all of the qualities you have right now, rather than dwelling on the errors you’ve made in the past or the challenges you’ll face in the future, can help you avoid repeating those mistakes and better tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
Think about all you’ve conquered and how it’s changed you as a person. It’s possible that you’re resourceful, adaptive, and have an open mind.
It’s possible that you’re disciplined, driven, or sympathetic in a manner that enables you to connect with others and build robust support networks.
Instead of worrying about what the outside world can do to you, find strength in who you’ve become as a result of what you’ve gone through, and believe, at this very now, that you can depend on those qualities to serve you well, regardless of what the future has in store for you.
And then, even better: Figure out a method to employ one of those skills right now in your current situation.
The other day, I began to become anxious about my plans for the beginning of the year after that since there are a lot of things that are uncertain right now and, as usual, there are a lot of things that I can’t control.
Then I recalled that, as a result of my intentionally placing myself in a variety of novel circumstances throughout the course of my life, I am consistently flexible and resourceful.
Even though I don’t always have faith in my ability to be successful in the future, I always find a way to make things work and make the most of the situation I’m in.
Therefore, at that very moment, when I was experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed and stretched too thin, I made the decision to make the most of my circumstance by turning on some music that I liked and taking a break from my job to watch my kid dance.
The day did not go perfectly, but I managed to make that one moment wonderful for me.
4. Carry out a few simple actions of self-care every day.
There was a time when I had a lot of spare time to devote to taking care of myself.
Before I had my kid, I used to be able to take a yoga class that lasted for an hour and a half with ease, as well as go for a stroll on the beach and maybe even take a bath.
Due to the fact that I no longer live in close proximity to the ocean, the activities that I find myself engaging in most often these days are either taking a thoughtful shower or stretching for ten minutes while listening to ocean sounds.
There was a time when I believed that such things were not worth the work that was required to accomplish them. I either go all in or I don’t do anything at all!
However, a day that includes twenty-five minutes of self-care, even if it is spread out throughout the day, feels far better than a day that does not include any self-care at all.
More of my favorite simple ways to take care of myself include the following:
- Enjoying some leisure time by reading a few pages or a chapter from a book.
- Putting on a face mask to make you feel more refreshed and clean.
- Spending the next five minutes doing nothing at all, just sitting here and allowing myself to be.
- I am going to get in touch with a dear friend to catch up.
- I’m now trying to relax my muscles and my thoughts by lying down with my legs propped up against a wall.
- I’m attempting to relax by rubbing lotion into my hands and working it into my skin.
- In place of eating a snack that is processed, choose to have something nutritious to eat or a glass of green juice.
- I’m going to spend a few minutes doodling and getting back in touch with my artistic side.
- Taking stock of where I am in this moment and asking myself, “What do I require?” Then I’ll treat myself to whatever I need, whether that’s a little pause, a drink of water, or a lap around the living room.
- Taking part in activities that I used to appreciate when I was a youngster, such as choreographing a silly dance to one of my favorite songs
5. Engage in acts of extreme self-appreciation.
When I’m not as harsh on myself as I should be, I find that difficult days become much more manageable.
This is not always an easy thing for me to accomplish when I’m having a challenging day since I typically find a way to blame myself for the challenge.
As if I just do not possess sufficient talent or physical prowess. Or maybe I didn’t make the best decisions in the past, and that’s why things are so challenging for me right now.
To combat this, I try to picture that I am watching someone I care about live my life, and I think about what I would say to them if they were feeling overwhelmed or down on themselves.
I also think about what I would tell myself if I were in their shoes.
Because I am usually very empathic toward my sister, I have even developed the habit of mentally referring to myself as “sister” from time to time. I know this seems sort of strange, but it’s true.
Therefore, when I’m having a hard time, I can tell my sister, “Sister, you’re doing wonderful! No one else I know is able to accomplish as much or as well as you can! ”
In addition, as a more proactive form of self-appreciation, I make it a point to check in with myself often during the day to make mental notes of the things that I’m excelling at.
And there are moments when it’s not about what you do, but who you are.
Congratulations for managing to be understanding despite your strong desire to pass judgment.
You deserve praise for showing thoughtfulness, even though it would have been easy for you to get caught up in your own business.
Even if you feel like you’ve been a complete failure in life today, you should still give yourself some slack and do it right now.
Because of my own experiences, I am aware that the feeling of exhaustion during challenging days is exacerbated when we criticize and berate ourselves at every turn.
It is the equivalent of braving a hurricane while carrying your own thrashing, wailing sibling on your back.
Even while being nicer to ourselves won’t make the storm any less intense, making the intentional decision to love ourselves through it will make the trip much easier to bear.
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