Sometimes the worst case scenario happens, and when it does sometimes it's better than you expected and other times it is way, way worse. Everyone has their own coping mechanisms for when life goes sideways but not all of us are so well adjusted that we can just take it all in stride. As someone who is familiar with the feeling of hopelessness I thought I would share some of the things I do to get myself through the rough patches.
one. Remember why you get up in the morning
If you are someone like me, you know how the first battle of the day is just making yourself stand up on your bedroom floor. For many people their bed is a place of security, of warmth and coziness on the physical side and psychologically it can feel like a safe place that exists outside of the rest of the world. But as we all know the world doesn't stop turning just because you are in bed so at some point you have to get up. For some it's a job, for other's its children and some also just look forward to their day. When the worst thing happens remember the reasons you get out of bed, even if you have lost one of those reasons now, there are still others to get you moving.
two. Remember the people counting on you
This is similar to the first one but more specific. You are not an isolated being, you have parents, maybe siblings, maybe extended family. If you don't have family you probably have friends, or acquaintances you interact with and whose lives you have impacted. Your job likely has people counting on it, and sure maybe anyone can brew a cup of coffee, but its your job and people are counting on you to do it. You are part of a web that connects you to the rest of the world so someone or something is going to notice if you just decide to drop out of it, you are not nobody.
three. Remember you have survived before
I am like ninety-nine percent sure that nobody makes it out of life unscathed. Everyone goes through hardships at one point or another, whether it's something small like getting a bad grade, or as big as traumatic life event you have to remember that you are still here. Even if this is worse than anything you could have imagined, look back at all the things you have overcome so far, and acknowledge that yes it's going to be hard but your life is worth fighting for until the end, if not for yourself but for the others around you (see point two).
Here's a bonus one, I hesitated to include it because I don't think that you should belittle anyone's problems, because the same situation for you could feel a million times more difficult for someone else but at the same time it can help to look at the bigger picture and put things into perspective.
four. Remember it could be worse
There are some really awful things that happen in the world, there are very beautiful things and awful things and everything in between. If people can survive in war-stricken lands, face disease, live without shelter and minimal food it makes many of my problems seem small in comparison, and when things look smaller they feel a lot easier to overcome. Again this tip might not be helpful for everyone because your problem is just as real as someone elses, this helps me regain my focus and look at things in a different light.
And one final note, if it feels like the world around you is falling apart it is absolutely okay for you to fall apart. Nobody should have to pretend that shitty things don't affect them, we are all only human. This post is for after you fall apart, to help you string yourself back together because sometimes (I know from experience) that can be the hardest part.
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