Tips For Successfully Getting Through A Bad Time

Surely you have been through one of those seasons in which the world seems to be against you, everything goes wrong and Murphy’s law is fulfilled with every step you take. When we go through one of these periods, we can feel as if we are draining water from a flooded pond with a hole in the bottom: none of our efforts can seem enough to improve the situation. But why does this happen?

Beyond feeling like victims of misfortune, we can come to understand how our cognitive biases contribute to the maintenance of these “bad spells”. And by doing so, we will be one step closer to successfully overcoming them. Therefore, before affirming that luck has abandoned you, take into consideration the following explanations and tips.

Why is there a bad time?

It is true that at certain times we can face a very demanding environment : a greater workload, family obligations to take care of or important matters to attend to. Events happen and are often beyond our control.

However, mental processes and internal dialogue also play an important role in interpreting these demands and labeling them as threats. Thus, we often adopt some dynamics:

• Complaining can be a useful tool at a specific moment as it allows us to express and release frustration. However, when it becomes constant, it causes us to enter a biased and negative perception of our surroundings. When we complain, we focus and keep our attention on the less favorable aspects, so that these seem more frequent and intense while the positive goes unnoticed.

• When we chain several losses or negative results, it is common that we begin to consider that the fault is in us -a common element in all these situations-. We assume that just as we have previously failed, we will continue to do so from now on. And this belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads us to perform worse than we normally would. Thus, we confirm again that everything goes wrong for us.
• When we feel that we are immersed in a bad time our attitude changes. We become more irritable and withdrawn and this leads us to isolate ourselves and experience more conflictual social interactions. Thus, we deprive ourselves of the reinforcing and rewarding element of human contact and pleasant activities and we reconfirm that there are no positive aspects in our daily lives.

How to successfully overcome a bad time?

Being aware that we are in one of the previous points can help us to reverse the situation. But, in addition, there are other guidelines that we can follow to successfully overcome a bad time.

Remember it’s temporary

When going through a bad time you can have the feeling that the aspect of the sky will not change; however, it is temporary. Go to the memory of other similar situations lived previously in which you managed to get ahead and try to use the resources that were useful to you then.

Delegate and ask for help

If at this time environmental demands exceed your ability to respond to them, do not hesitate to ask for help. Having another perspective can help you think more clearly, and another set of hands can help you lighten the weight of those external demands.

Even if you turn to others solely to release your psychological tension, support and the ability to vent your emotions can be very positive.

Take care of your mental health

Lastly, remember to prioritize yourself and take care of yourself at all times. Sustained psychological stress can have serious mental health consequences; So if you feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to take at least one day to yourself.

Disconnect from social obligations and responsibilities and dedicate time to your recovery : rest your body and mind, do some activity that you find pleasant and forget about external demands for that time. You will feel refreshed.

Bad times are part of life too

We would all like to remain in a constant state of tranquility and happiness; However, sadness, frustration and anxiety are experiences that are also part of our lives.

If we allow it, they can become great teachers: they show us what our wrong attitudes are and they also remind us of the resources we have. So, remember and treasure those resources for the next time a bad time tries to settle in your life.