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Suicide is a permanent solution to a crisis point that will pass. If you need to speak with someone urgently, click the button for some resources that will help keep you alive.
Get HelpIt’s easy to get blindsided by the negative events and emotions around us. When bad things happen continuously, it’s easy to question our worth, our purpose and even our existence.
But fixating only on the negative in your life consumes any power you have and keeps you from focusing on the best that life offers you.
It’s incredibly easy to get swept up in the negative emotions that you’re feeling when you are going through tough times. Who wants to think happy thoughts whenever their life seems like a downward spiral? But that’s when you need to be positive the most.
Even on your worst days, there’s something to be positive about, but we can’t even think about them when our attention always goes to that which is most negative.
Next time everything seems to go wrong, and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Just because you are currently struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing at life. When things aren’t going well, or our depression distracts us, our vision gets smaller. We don’t see past our circumstances, and we think the problems we have are going to be the end. We can’t confuse a bad time for a bad life.
This season is temporary, and it will pass.
Nothing comes easy, and there’s always some struggle. You’re not alone. But if life didn’t throw curveballs how would we grow? How would we learn and become stronger? Imagine a world where everything is perfect. Nothing ever goes wrong in this ‘perfect world.’ Nobody stumbles, and everyone gets what they want. It would be nice to see everyone have success in their life and never feel pain, right? But how does that make us stronger? If we don’t encounter a struggle, we can’t grow.
It helps to think of the advantages that may come out of these struggles. For example, let’s say you’re having trouble with debt and bills. You will be able to help other people and relate to them because of your struggle. For every negative, there is a positive. You just have to look deep.
Knowing this may not make your situation feel less painful, but it will help you start to find some positivity within the darkness.
Instead of thinking about the hopelessness of your problems, think of solutions. There is always a solution, and once you realize it, it’s a step in the right direction.
These solutions might take a little creativity or some long-term effort using the energy you don’t currently have. That’s okay. Identifying solutions reminds you that things aren’t hopeless and there is always a way out.
You may find yourself upset because something didn’t happen the way you planned. That’s okay. Ever hear the saying, ‘If it’s meant to be it will happen?’ It’s entirely accurate.
Be willing to open your mind when things go wrong and look for positivity. For example, maybe a house you wanted was purchased right before you got a chance to place an offer. Think of it as a sign that something even better is going to come along.
Things happen beyond our control, and there’s nothing we can do to stop that. You can drive yourself crazy trying to control every aspect of your life, or you can just go with the flow and go through life with an open heart and mind.
Think of a time when life let you down before. How did you overcome that obstacle? Knowing that you went through something before and came out of it will give you more confidence the next time you find yourself in a rut.
Life is going to knock you down, no doubt. But it’s up to you to keep going. Get back up. Stand up strong when something happens and fight for what you want.
We all experience hard falls and negative events in our lives. Don’t let difficult times dictate your path to happiness. Despite our depression and our circumstances, much of our happiness comes from a choice, and the determination to find the positive no matter what. It isn’t easy by any stretch, but the payoff can be huge.
Heather Burdo is a New York based freelance writer with work appearing in Gluten-Free Living Magazine as well as many popular blogs. Through Sad Runner, Heather pursues her dream of creating insightful content that helps people going through a difficult time.
