Continually derailed? Five ways to keep moving forward.
I was trying to get work done while feeling like crap until my faithful felines collapsed upon me and made me rest.
We all go through those stretches of time where life seems to have decided to toss challenges at us faster than we can gracefully deal with them. The temptation to just lay down in the middle of the dodgeball court and take the hits until they stop coming is real, but that wouldn’t be productive.
Here are a few tips I cling to when I need to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Recognize that you’re getting hit. Especially if you’re normally a high achieving person, the first impulse can be to beat yourself up for not being on top of everything like usual. Honestly look at your situation and admit it if you’re having a difficult time. Sometimes it can be helpful to vent to an outside source and have someone outside of your own head give a perspective. We’re usually hardest on ourselves.
Let some things go. Once you’ve made peace with the fact that you’re going through a challenging time, prioritize what actually needs to be done. I’m currently sick for the fourth time this year. (I’m so mad.) And I’ve nearly gone dark on my social media marketing. I just don’t have the bandwidth right now and it’s the one thing I can let go to give myself some extra time to rest and relieve some pressure.
Make time to rest and eat healthy. This is probably the time when you want to fall back onto your comfort food and comping mechanisms the most—and if it happens, it happens, don’t beat yourself up—but make a conscious effort to take care of yourself. It can be difficult, but going to bed early is a magical thing if you can manage it.
Find a friend to unpack it all with. Sometimes just laying it all out on the table with someone else will make things feel more manageable. Even if the problem is nothing that another person can help with (being under the weather, for the fourth time in four months, for example) it is often helpful to just have someone validate how you feel.
Make your own finish line. Usually with any difficult patch, there are crests and valleys. Pick out a hill, make it your finish line. Once you’re over that point, things will get easier. Having a spot to look forward too, even if you have a few more hills to cross afterward, is mentally helpful.
Remember that almost everything in life is cyclical. This too shall end.