For most of us, it’s important to feel like we’re in control of everything in our lives. You rely on that feeling of having your act together, and uncertainty is the enemy you hope to never meet. When your life starts spinning out of control, it can be overwhelming and hard to deal with, but there are some steps you can take to help you cope:
- Control the controllable aspects; don’t stress too much about the rest. You’re strong, so naturally you’re doing all you can do to control the situation. Unfortunately, not everything is controllable. Focus on the things that are, because there’s nothing you can do about the uncontrollable aspects.
- Take it one day at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. No matter what happened to disrupt your utopia, it probably can’t be fixed in a day so just be patient.
- Work hard and have faith that your hard work will be rewarded. It’s easy to forget that you aren’t required to be perfect, so here’s your reminder. Work hard and do your best, and it’ll all be OK in the end.
- Ask for support, even if it’s just emotional support. It’s easy to get in the habit of being fiercely independent and refusing to ask for help, but it’s not realistic to never need help again. Even if all you need is someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to call a friend when you need support.
- Take breaks when you need to. When you’re constantly stressing about getting everything back on track, it can be hard to allow yourself to take a break while things are still imperfect. Remember that getting everything back on track might take time, and that it’s not only OK, but necessary to take breaks and get some rest during that time.
- Stop blaming yourself. Even if you did screw something up that caused your life to temporarily derail, blaming yourself is counterproductive. Nobody is perfect, so give yourself a break.
- Do things that make you happy and reduce your stress. Having a heart attack will only make the situation worse, so do whatever you need to do in order to reduce your stress levels. You’re not required to stress about the situation 24/7 until it’s resolved; as a matter of fact, that’s the last thing you should do.
- Look on the bright side. Even if certain aspects of your life aren’t quite up to your standards at the moment, there are plenty of good things going on in your life as well. Keep everything in perspective by remembering to appreciate the positive things in your life as well.
