We all have bad days that are just sucky and honestly, unavoidable. Then there's days that you're in a funk, you want to snap out of it, but you can't. There's a few simple things you can try and you probably didn't realize you needed.
1. Set Limits
Even if you're reading this thinking, "Okay, I limit myself way too much and I'm pretty reserved. I actually need to branch out of my shell a little more." That's not quite what this means. As reserved as someone may be, everyone still has something that they 'over do' which can cause more stress in their life.
It may be spending too much and breaking their weekly budget, drinking more than they should, not spending enough time with their family, etc. Rearranging your priorities can lead to a simpler, less stressful life.
2. Understanding where you can or can't help
I think we've all tried to given advise or be there for someone who is emotionally unstable. You may have torn yourself up over the fact that they haven't been getting better or that you haven't seen improvement. It's important to start understanding where their at in their emotional battle.
If they don't have self confidence or they need everyone else's approval to live their life happily, one person will never be able to change that for them. Letting their burden weigh on your shoulders is going to cause you more unnecessary stress.
3. Take a break
For those go-getters and workaholics, you need breaks. Taking a break DOES NOT make you lazy. Throughout the day, you need some time to process. Try taking a break before you're just exhausted and overwhelmed.
4. Address your problems instead of just admitting them
You may find yourself with the same, reoccurring problem. You've admitted it's a problem but haven't done anything to address it. If you're constantly late to work, the thought of getting up earlier is a joke so you still haven't changed anything. Instead, try making smaller changes. If you're constantly running late, set your clothes out the night before or prepare your coffee so it's just a push of a button the next morning.
5. Focus on the solutions, not the problem
When my dad coached mighty-mights football, he said he never told his players "don't fumble the ball." He always insisted, "Hang on to the the ball," because that's what they would focus on. Hopefully they would picture hanging on to the ball and doing anything to accomplish keeping it in their control. Problems are pretty ugly to look at and will make you want to avoid the situation entirely. Start focusing on the goal and how to reach it. Most likely, you'll think of solutions you wouldn't have before.
