We all have those days when nothing goes right. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, your alarm clock doesn’t go off, and then you get stuck in traffic. You’re not alone.
Now, there are over 40 million Americans who suffer from PTSD and other forms of trauma whose bad days are much worse than the so-called Norm.
We understand personally how difficult it can be to live with the effects of childhood trauma and PTSD, but we want you to know that hope is out there. The darkness does pass.
We want to help everyone turn their bad days into good ones!
Adult Survivors of childhood trauma and abuse
Are you having a bad day?
Here are 10 ways you can have a bad day and turn it into something positive.
- Take some time for yourself. Sometimes we need to step away from the situation and take some time for ourselves to calm down or process what has happened. If you don’t give yourself this opportunity, then your emotions will continue to escalate until they explode out of control. Processing experiences can be difficult, but they are well worth the work. Once the event is processed your brain will be able to eventually file that away in the back with the unimportant memories. It is always easier said than done, but no one promised this life would be without pain and trauma as well as beauty and kindness. Breathe.
- Find someone who understands how you feel and talk about it with them. If you are fortunate enough to have someone who can empathize with your emotional platform, then allow them to help you. Sometimes all we need is someone to sit with us in the dark. True friends will stay with you when you are suffering and if you have them, you are so fortunate. Many people have no one they can turn to in times of intense stress. Ways to connect in those cases would be through social media. Search for groups that fit your needs and make friends while working on healing from your trauma. Read blogs that pertain to your pain. It can help to know that you are not alone. You are valid.
- Don’t let anger fester inside of you; instead, find constructive ways of dealing with it so that it doesn’t eat away at your soul like acid burning through metal. Many survivors of childhood trauma are filled with rage. Some do not understand why, they do not look deep enough into themselves to see that anger is a symptom of a larger issue. Rage and anger are good signs that you are on the way to healing because it means you know deep down that it was not your fault. It is not ‘what is wrong with you’, it is, ‘what happened to you’.
- Try not to get too caught up in negative thoughts because they only make things worse Take some time for yourself. Sometimes we need to step away from the situation and take some time for ourselves to calm down or process what has happened. If you don’t give yourself this opportunity, then your emotions will continue to escalate until they explode out of control.
- Be kind. Kindness determines our intentions each day, beginning with ourselves. When we reach out to help another, it is we who benefit. kindness reminds us that the simplest actions can mean everything. Kindness makes us feel good, simply put.
Have fun coloring. Get yourself an adult coloring book and some colored pens or pencils. Go to town! Coloring is no longer just for kids. In 2015 nearly half the books sold on Amazon were adult coloring books. We live in a fast-paced, info-packed, high-octane society, where locating our significance is sometimes the biggest challenge of all. Feeling lost in the jostling crowd is the norm. Coloring offers an opportunity to pause, to sit quietly with yourself and zone in, rather than zone out. Like meditation and yoga, coloring is a quiet, self-affirming activity, one that has the advantage of being less demanding than other mindfulness practices. Coloring also increases your ability to focus, become a better thinker, and reduce anxiety. Being creative is a wonderful way to step out of your worries and anxieties because coloring is a form of self-love. When you take time to nurture yourself, you are practicing self-love. It is so easy to forget that we too need time for ourselves in this fast-paced world.- Stop comparing yourself to other people. We have done that consistently and it only leads to self-loathing and depression. We always fall short. If you are going to compare yourself to another person, use yourself. Compare yourself now to yourself a year ago. Your happiness decreases exponentially when you look at the pictures on Facebook or Instagram showing what a great life everyone else has. Step away from your phone. Put Facebook away for a while. Most importantly, stop comparing yourself to others because you can become held back from moving forward. You are perfect. You are unique and you are valid.
- Permit yourself to rest. Fighting an invisible battle is exhausting. We put on a face for the public and eventually, if we do not get a break, we may break. Depression is for real. Sometimes you need to permit yourself to take care of yourself. Take a break. It’s okay.
- Make sure you are taking care of your physical needs. Take a walk outside and enjoy nature. Get some exercise by going on a walk, running, or doing yoga at home. Physical activity has been known to help with depression or negative emotions. Swimming has significantly reduced the symptoms of anxiety or depression for 1.4 million adults in Britain. Almost half a million British adults with mental health problems have stated that the number of visits to a medical professional regarding their mental health has reduced because of swimming. Yet swimming is not for everyone. Taking a simple walk around the block can help by distracting you, raising your endorphins, and getting you outside of yourself.
Remind yourself why life is worth living despite the challenges ahead. It may be different for everyone, find what works for you. Sometimes it is the little things, a sip of hot chocolate is one of my favorite treats. Perhaps you would like a scented bath. Light some candles and remember that this is a big world. There are so many reasons, big and small, that make life worth living. Waking up is a gift, even if it feels like a curse. Remember: This too shall pass.
As you can see from these ten tips, it’s never too late to turn a bad day into a good one. Whether your mood is sour because of something that happened or because of your depression etc. – there are always ways to make yourself feel better…. So don’t worry! We all have those days when we’re feeling down and out about life in general. But what’s important is how we choose to deal with our emotions – either by letting them drag us down even more or using some simple strategies like those listed above to change things for the better. What do you guys think? Post your thoughts below! We know that so many tips are easier said than done. We do believe that mindfulness can be a tool in fighting depression. What do you think?
