How To Seek Help During Tough Times
Life has a way of teaching you lessons that can make or break you. You sometimes find yourself having the most splendid time. Then suddenly a series of unfortunate events blow up in your face, and you’re caught off guard. Hitting you right where it hurts.
This is what shapes you into the kind of person you are today. Knowing how it feels to have plenty and how it feels to be empty. The sufferings you have endured and the character produced through these are what give you hope. Reminding you that there is a sunrise after the pitch-black darkness of every sunset.
Everyone has their highs and lows, but no one has to go through it alone. However, before you seek help from anyone. You should make sure that you’ve been pulling your own weight. Hence, making efforts to help yourself before expecting help from anyone else.
Below are some ways to help you pick yourself up during tough times before seeking any help:
Be Positive
It’s easy to be positive when things go your way, but it can be quite a task when you are dealt with some bad cards. It’s how you play these cards that will show your true grit.
You already know that you’re facing tough times, and you don’t need to dwell in it. You must realize that this too shall pass and that you’ve been through times like these before. Yet here you are still standing, and still breathing.
This is just life trying to make itself known to you. Teaching you things you barely know about yourself. Showing you what you’re capable of, and making sure you are well prepared to handle the gifts that lie ahead. This is called faith.
Don’t ever think that you’re hitting rock bottom. You’re just facing the same fear that you’ve felt before; you’re just making it bigger than it is actually. This is just the same monster that you thought was in the closet when you were younger.
Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment; that will only lead to things being blown out of proportion. You have to be rational; you have to focus. Know that the life you live is not entirely for you, but for the people who need you and care for you, and for whoever it is that gave it to you.
You might feel like you’re in a grave right now, but that’s because you’re the one digging. Get yourself out of that hole but leave your worries behind.
Count Your Blessings
You might be thinking that the earth is trying to swallow you whole as if everyone is out to get you – well, that’s fine. It’s okay to be afraid sometimes. It reminds you to take a step back and further assess the situation at hand. Take this time to check your pockets and see what you have that you can use to deal with whatever’s in front of you; count your blessings.
Joyful moments in your life as simple as just sitting down and being human, a dear friend whispering good counsel to you, a moment when someone was looking up to you or admiring you, or those times when you were hungry and had something to eat. These are moments that remind you that you are being blessed every day.
Blessings that you tend to forget during your darkest hours but are crumbs of bread that led you straight to the light at the end of the tunnel. Moreover, these are the things that you should be grateful for but are often taken for granted when dark clouds rain over your head.
Organize Your Thoughts
Your mind is like a messy room right now. Dirty laundry on the floor, leftover food by your bedside, clouds of dust around the windows, and a creaking bed that wreaks of musty sheets. You need to clean up and organize, but knowing where to begin is holding you back.
Well, you can begin by completing the simplest tasks, such as removing the clutter from a tiny desk. This is the same as figuring out the smallest detail about how you got yourself into the situation you’re in right now. Then, slowly, one by one, the solution will not be as elusive as it once was, as you can declutter your mind and remove the cobwebs from your eyes.
Once the dark thoughts that hindered your vision have been removed. It’s now the best time to reflect on your actions and decisions. This will give you a brighter perspective toward reality as you squint your eyes to see clearly where you are and where you need to be.
Stimulate Your Mind
You must keep yourself busy during your struggling times. You don’t have to stay still and just let the waves crash into you. The world is moving, and you should, too. But this doesn’t mean that you should run from your troubles; give it all you got and fight the good fight.
Stimulating your mind is a fantastic way to channel your energy into positivity. You can do this by reading books, watching movies, or learning something new.
Getting creative is one way you can stimulate your mind. You can paint, write, or make music as an outlet for your deepest emotions. Most importantly, creating something from nothing gives you a sense of fulfilment and sheds light on the better side of yourself. This is how most artists or creative minds overcome depression and anxiety.
If you think creativity may not be for you, you can consider getting into sports or an active lifestyle instead. Getting into extreme sports, for instance, is a good choice when trying to stimulate your mind athletically. It keeps your adrenaline pumping to excessive levels causing intense feelings of motivation and happiness. Plus it awakens the fighter in you.
Knowing When to Seek Help
If all else fails, shout it all out. It’s not a good idea to keep your passions hole up inside you; they just might eat you from within. So, throw out all your hatred and anger before it consumes you. Post it all on social media, or pick a fight if you would. Just make sure that you’d be able to handle the consequences.
However, doing such may affect the people around you. This may drag them to your ugly spiral down, or they may even begin to despise you. At the same time, some may see this as a desperate cry for help.
If you feel like you’re at your wit’s end, this may be the time that you need to be brave enough to seek help.
Whom to Seek Help From
Different situations require different kinds of help. If you are going through tough times due to alcoholism or addiction, you may need immediate professional help. Websites such as Jacksonhouserehab.com can help you be on your way to sobriety or recovery.
The easiest and most convenient way to seek help is to search online for such professionals. This is also ideal if you think you’re having mental health issues.
If you’re grieving over a loss of a loved one or trying to cope with some life-threatening disease. Support groups can also be found all over the internet to help you feel empowered and a sense of community.
However, if you feel that this is not as serious as addiction or mental health issues. It’s essential to reach out to your family and closest friends. People who you can trust at times when you feel vulnerable.
Some prefer travelling and meeting new people during their tough times as they find it more benevolent, fruitful, and engaging. It’s a way for them to assess their situations from entirely different perspectives. Since the people, they talk to tend to give them answers based on general assimilations and not on speculations based on their identity. This may not be the safest way, though. In case you decide to opt for this kind of help. Make sure that you remove yourself from the situation on the first sign of trouble.
The Takeaway
No matter what kind of rough patch you find yourself in, know that you will never be alone. You will always have someone who cares enough to face the challenges with you and hold your hand until all your fears and worries go away.
Remember that even the coldest, darkest, and longest nights eventually dawn a new day.
Consider the life of a wild lotus flower. It begins its life as nothing but a tiny seed buried in mud and engulfed in total darkness. It then sprouts through the ground and struggles through the rushing murky water until it reaches the surface. Once on the surface, it delightfully blooms to a breath-taking florescence that radiates beauty to the entire forest.