Down, but not out.

Down, but not out.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

So, you're feeling a little down? Lacking motivation, stressed, or just plain fed up? I feel you, I have far to many days like that for my liking. Having (more or less) overcome fairly severe depression in my teenage years, and still suffering from the occasional violent pang of crippling anxiety, I have a pretty good idea about how it feels to be down. However, through that curse came a blessing - learning how to recognise when you're starting to spiral, and nipping it in the bud when you're able to. So without further ado, let me share some of my best kept secrets to busting out of that funk!

Distraction is key:

There is nothing worse than sitting there, feeling sorry for yourself. I know how hard it is to drag yourself out of bed, but you'll be amazed at how much good a bit of fresh air can do. Even if you just walk around the block, or pop to the corner shop, you'll be taking the first step to feeling better. Next step, keep yourself busy. The Big Bang Theory has always been one of my favourite series - it's hilarious and you know that it's never going to be sad/depressing - which is very important. There's no point watching your favourite series if it's going to make you feel worse - try to keep it upbeat! I'll let you in on a little secret, when I first moved to university I was insanely homesick, and I found it almost impossible to fall asleep without letting all the badness flow back into my mind. One night, I decided to put an episode of TBBT on, and fell to sleep to that instead of being swamped by all of the negativity in my head. To this day, I still like to pop on an episode most nights to fall asleep to. 

Treat yourself:

Now as much as getting yourself a designer bag would be amazing, that's not what I mean by treating yourself. What makes you happy? What helps you to relax? That's what you need to figure out! Enjoy a bit of pampering? Throwing on a face mask even when you might not feel in the mood for one will help you to relax, feel a bit pampered and therefore enable you to take a step back from everything and analyse the situation properly. I tend to pop to Boots when I'm feeling a bit down - not necessarily to buy anything (although I'd be lying if I said I didn't occasionally!) but just to surround myself with things that I enjoy, and that make me happy. Love keeping your nails in shape? Treat yourself to a new polish, or even go all out and book yourself a mani! You don't have to spend loads to make yourself happy, just identify those small things in life that make you smile, and utilise them when you feel like everything is raining on your parade.

Talk to loved ones:

It's not always easy to talk thing over, especially when you can't actually pinpoint what is making you feel that way, but sometimes it's essential to vent a bit. Whether you're looking to simply get it all out, or actually ask someone for advice, just pick up the phone. Someone, somewhere in the world will be willing to listen. Rest assured that your loved ones, and trust me on this, are willing to do anything in their power to help you out. No matter how big of a hole you think you've dug yourself into, a logical outsider (I say this because when I'm down, I often get very illogical) can often be exactly what you need as they usually come up with solutions/ideas that would never have occurred to you in your darkened mindset. 

Let it out:
Now this one might not be for everyone, but sometimes writing down what's bothering you can help to free up a lot of headspace. Similar to talking to someone, this can help you to think things over by enabling you to see the whole situation a bit clearer, especially when it's staring you in the face. Sometimes thing can seem a hell of a lot scarier or overwhelming when they're floating around in your mind, all jumbled and confused. Setting them out visually can help you to realise that they might not be as bad or as stressful as you first assumed.

Remember, we're all human - which means that we're all going to have our good days and our bad days - but the key is knowing how to handle those bad days. Nothing lasts forever, you're going to get over that heartbreak, that mountain of work at your desk isn't going to haunt you until the end of your days, and that fight you had with your friend, trust me, it'll pass!

As you can probably tell, I've had my fair share of bad days, so if any of you ever need some advice, or simply want to talk, please send me over a message! My links are below, or send me an email at isobel@isobel-rose.com ! Do you have any tips for picking yourself up? I'd love to hear, so leave me a comment below!

Isobel x

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