5 Steps to surviving the hardest of days……..

Let’s face it, some days are just shit. No matter how much you call positivity into your life, the universe sometimes hands us a big bag of crap which drains every bit of our strength. I am having one of these days today. Today my kitten Smutte, only 10 weeks old was put down, she had epilepsy it started with 8 epileptic fits in one day and got worse, she was just too young to have medication. It is my own personal hell, my positivity is at an all time low, I feel like a wet dish cloth wrung out.

So how to cope on a day like today. Realistically it’s tough. Here are 5 steps to help you to survive the hardest of days.

Re assess your expectations and activities

So you may have had a whole day of goals to achieve. When you are so low it’s a huge mountain to climb. So reassess what you can do. Now you need to put the big things on hold. You cannot be your best right now so don’t try, you’ll be disappointed with the results. Instead choose no more than three basic things you can achieve. Keep it simple. Putting on the washing or doing the washing up or having a shower. These tasks need to be manageable. These three things will give you something to be proud of today and you need that little reminder.

Ask for help and support.

It can hard to reach out when we need it most. I find that its actually easier to write it than ask in person. So send an email, a facebook message or sms. Explain (if you can) the challenge or just that you need some support. And (again if you can) explain what help you need. Our friends and family often feel more valued if we can turn to them for support and your boss and colleagues will respect you more if you choose to wait until you can give your 100% to important tasks.

Be good to you.

It’s pretty simple, be nice to yourself. If you enjoy bubble baths, have one. Make a nice meal, give yourself a hand massage, go for a walk , a swim or a run. Do what works for you. Today although I feel awful, dancing with the kids, doing jigsaw puzzles and playing board games has raise my dopamine level and I feel a bit better.  Making your evening as relaxing as possible, it really helps.

It’s okay to be upset.

It really is. You must have heard the advice that when you feel bad think of how other have it worse and realise you have it better than them. This belittles your situation and usually makes you feel guilty. It’s ok to feel upset. It’s okay to cry. Your sadness is justified and it is healthy to cry it out. Crying release toxins in our body, afterwards you do feel better. So cry your heart out. If it’s hard try watching a sad movie. Every release helps.

Make yourself laugh.

Laughter is the best medicine, although it sounds tough I know. I once read an inspiring article of a cancer patient who knew that her attitude would have a direct effect on her recovery. So she and partner watch funny tv programs every evening making them laugh. So read funny books, trawl the internet for funny memes or watch something funny. A bit of humor never hurt anyone, in fact is usually heals us.

Sleep as much as you can.

Sleep heals us. The body is in hormonal chaos when we are sad or upset, sleep helps us recover and regain energy. If it’s hard try putting on some relaxing music, for me reading always works (nothing highly intellectual often Asterix or what I call chewing gum for the brain books.) Sleep as much as you can and give you body a chance to recover.

Remember the wise saying “ Everything will get better in the end. If it’s not better it’s not the end.” Things will get better. No matter how dark the night the sun will always return to bring us new light. So take care of yourselves, be kind and remember the storms always make us stronger.
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