If life feels a little too much sometimes, here's some advice on what you can do to feel better
If you sometimes feel overwhelmed when things don't go according to plan, read this and feel in control again
Even for the most easygoing, organised and/or lucky people in life, things sometimes go wrong. It might be something as little as just missing being the last person able to squeeze on to the bus, or something bigger, like messing up an assignment that’s going to affect your final grade.
You might get upset or annoyed for a bit, but then you get over it. Or you might get really overwhelmed and find it really difficult to disconnect from what’s stressing you out, which makes it hard for you to move on and affects other areas of your life.
If you said, “That’s so me” to the latter, keep reading. Here are some ways you can help yourself and learn to get out of that funk of sadness, depression, and self-blame.
Understanding the problem
Step one: recognise that you do have a problem, and that it’s okay, but that it is something you can and should take care of.
Some people can appear to go about life just fine. In class, friends and lecturers may not realise you are sad for so long when things get tough. At home, family may miss the signs that you’re not happy. But it’s important that you see it: you lack whole-life resilience, which is the ability to bounce back when upsetting or stressful things happen.
It’s very possible you have a degree of resilience, and that, psychologists say, helps. Still, you may be what’s called a Quick Sinker: someone who struggles to stay afloat when life’s daily waters grow rough.
You’re not alone
Social media memes and news stories illustrate that many of us aren’t getting by all that well - not when we’re over-stressed, over-caffeinated, very invested in a party, person or cause, and not getting enough rest, which are all factors that collectively drain us emotionally.
