You wake up and prepare for the day in anticipation. You run through your daily routine with either hope or reluctance, but you’re probably not expecting any great change. However, life doesn’t keep your daily routine in mind.
Oftentimes, life has a plan of its own that may greatly derail your plans and place you on a completely different trajectory. The best way we can react is to remain composed and do our best with what remains after such a life-altering event.
In order to do this, we must make sure that we’re healthily coping with the after affects and here are some ways to make adjusting a bit easier.
1. Honor your feelings.
Honoring your feelings is of the utmost importance. Society places an enormous amount of pressure on us to be happy all the time, especially in the age of social media where everyone seems to be “living their best lives.”
Not only is this unrealistic, but it does a great disservice to our overall wellbeing. Each of your emotions are just as valid and parts of what makes us human. When a life-changing event occurs, you’re going to experience a myriad of emotions, so experience and accept them. Once these emotions have helped you purge sorrows and are no longer needed, that’s when you should release them.
2. Stay out of your head.
Although this may sound contradictory to the first point, they walk hand in hand. Once you have allowed yourself to process your emotions, you will need to take a step forward.
This is the time to indulge in your hobbies. Exercise to get your blood flowing, watch a movie to entertain yourself, find something that allows you to take a momentary break from the matter at hand. Having a hobby to help you through a hard time can give you an opportunity to center yourself and give yourself a moment to breathe.
3. Remember What’s Important
Anytime anything life-changing occurs, we are often left with the rubble of what remains. Despite the drastic changes, these moments are the best times to reflect.
Not only do we have the opportunity to evaluate what we should be grateful for, but we have an opportunity to realize just what we may be taking for granted in life. There is bound to be something in our lives that we don’t appreciate for its complete value. A life-changing event allows us to return to what we may have overlooked for greener pastures.
4. Talk
At times, you’re not the only one affected during a life-changing event. And when you need to cope, a sense of community can help. Traumatic events can leave you feeling alone, and feeling alone may lead you to think that you’re actually alone when it’s not true.
There are always others who can relate to what you’re going through. At first, it may be difficult to find these people, but there are networks that aid you in finding an appropriate support group. However, it is understandable that connecting with strangers may not be the first thing you want to do, especially if you’re on the shyer side. If that’s you, try to reach out to someone who’s close to you already. A good friend will always be there to lend an open ear and all you have to do is allow them to listen.
Reflect & Refresh 