Sometimes, I wish I could not leave the bed and face the day. I feel lost and empty especially when I look at my current situation, this is not the life I dreamed of. It is filled with financial difficulties, coronavirus, unstable jobs, and unstable relationships. Everything is unstable.

Have you ever felt that way?  Lost, lonely, empty.If you are going through a difficult time right now. You are not alone

Here’s What You Can Do When The Going Gets Tough.

1. Reach Out for Help

Talk to someone whom you can confide in or a professional counsellor who can help you navigate through what is going on for you. Sharing helps you to release pent-up emotions that lead to stress, indulgences to drugs and eventually illness.

Do not bottle up emotions as well isolate yourself from your close friends and family.

2. Journal

This is a personal and private record of your day’s experiences including thoughts, feelings, achievements, and behaviours.

Write things down on a piece of paper without censuring what comes to your mind. Most of the time, we find ourselves weighed down by self-defeating thoughts. For instance, when you are ruminating about a situation or rather an experience can greatly impact both psychological and physical health.

Having these negative automatic thoughts, they reinforce the feelings and behaviours that you are likely experiencing right now. How about giving it a trial start by writing these troublesome thoughts that activate, and maintain the symptoms/ behaviors.

3. Use Positive Self-Talk as Coping a Mechanism.

Here are some examples of positive coping statements you can use: I Can Do This, This Too Shall Pass. The situation is difficult but I will overcome it.

4. Do A. B. C. D. E. F of Problem Solving.

What are you saying to yourself right now when you are reading this article ? How about what you say to yourself while you are alone? Watch what is happening around you and the thoughts accompanying the feeling. .

Look at what is Activating the situation, the Belief around it, and the Consequences (what is going on for you?). Once you Detect the belief dispute it looking into facts about it! At this point, you can effect a new way of reframing your experience. Finally, find a solution or alternative.

6.Practise Self Love

Be kind to yourself! STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF. Getting to a point where you get to board unconditional self-acceptance. Accepting yourself for being, your flaws everything about you just the way you are!

So,what kind of a friend are you to yourself? This is a reflective question!

Learn to pamper yourself, nurturing the child inside you will go a long way in dealing with these feelings or situation.

Final Word.

There is hope through the change of our own perception. As we look through the lens of life, simple words of gratitude and positive self-affirmations will get us through.

Written by:

Samuel Mburu,

Counsellor, Psychologist