Sometimes life seems to get the better of us. It seems that the world is pressing down upon us and we are not really sure what we should do about it. It feels like every way we turn there is a wall pressing against us and pushing us into despair. However, all is not lost. There are some simple and easy ways to start turning your life around and taking control. Sometimes the easiest ways are best. We often look for a solution that is more complex than it needs to be. Although there is a place for taking medications, and getting professional counseling, the majority of us can take some simple steps that could fix our problems long before we get to that stage. Here are some things to consider.
Fake it till you make it
This is one of the easiest things to do, and most of us have some experience doing this in some small way. If anyone asks you how you feel, you always tell them that you feel fantastic. If you always look on the bright side, and pretend to be happy and in control, then over time, as you keep pushing towards that goal, you will find that suddenly it becomes the truth. You will be fantastic. Every time you think to say something negative, or think something negative, grab yourself and mentally shake yourself, and turn it into something positive. The more you look at being positive, the more positive things you will find. If you stop looking at the negative, you will find that less and less negative happens.
Sleep
Okay, this seems like it’s much too easy, but you need to get enough sleep. Yes, yes, we know, you are one of those special people that only need 6 hours a night. Well, we hate to tell you, but you’re not one of the special people. The chances of you having that genetic trait, that lets you sleep that little, is about the same as you getting hit by lightning. You need to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. We know we may sound like your mom, who’s been telling you that forever, but it’s true. Your mental clarity, and performance, will rise quite dramatically. You might not be able to see it yourself, but others will see it in you. Just to give you an example, and this is all science-based research if you only sleep 7 hours a night (as opposed to the 6 we mentioned) then that one-hour deficit, will add up. After one week it becomes the same as you staying up all night. The tests on mental acuity and emotional impact show that getting just one hour less sleep for a week has the same negative results as if you stayed up all night. So the first thing you need to do is start making sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep.
Exercise
Another extremely obvious one is to get some exercise. Even if it’s only downloading an app on your phone and taking 10 minutes to do some jumping jacks and a couple of simple body-weight exercises, it will make a large difference in the long run. Exercise has been an important aspect of life all the way back to ancient times. Socrates said that “no citizen has a right to be an3ymn.mn..nnnnnnnn.m….nnnn .nn.mmnnmnnnnmq amateur in the matter of physical training”. Starting to get in shape may be one of the more difficult things to do, as we all know we should do it but never do. But it is definitely one that you have to put on the schedule. It will feel uncomfortable and unpleasant in the beginning but after a few months you will wonder how you managed to do without it. The mental benefits will surpass the physical benefits that you will get, as hard as that might be to believe, and it will change your outlook on life.
Food maketh the man
Similar to exercise, you need to start looking at what you’re eating. We are not here to tell you to lose weight, we are here to tell you to start eating healthy. If you are living off drive-through food and soda, your mental and emotional well-being is taking a huge hit. It doesn’t really matter what diet you choose, whether it’s vegan, paleo, ketogenic, warrior, or any of the other myriad diets. But whatever you pick, you need to make sure you stick to it, and all the healthy aspects of it. It will take a few months, but you will find your body will adjust and you will enjoy it a lot more than you believe you could. Depending on how bad your food is now, you will also see an upsurge in your emotional well-being as well as your mental health.
Only deal with what you can control
Another thing that will help you get your life in order is to only deal with things that are in your control. If you have 20 problems and 10 of them you can’t do anything about, forgetting those 10 (as you can’t do anything about them anyway) has just cut your stress and problems in half. Only deal with what you can control. If you try and deal with things that are out of your control, it’s like going up to a concrete wall and smashing your head against it, it’s not going to knock it down. As simple as this is, most people have a hard time grasping the concept. But if you give it a try will feel the weight of the world leave your shoulders a little bit more.
Eye on the prize
What we mean when we say keep your eye on the prize is that you have to look towards the future and what you want to be. If you’re going through a rough patch and are always focusing on the problems that you have, you will have a hard time digging yourself out of the pit. You want to be fantastic and in control of your life, so imagine how that can be and move towards it. Visualize your future and the fantastic person that you want to become. Once you have that goal, and you can see it in your mind, just keep moving towards it. Even if it’s only small steps, small steps will still get you there over time. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to turn your life around, it can be just looking at things in a different way. It can be someone just opening your eyes, or telling you to do something that you already know you should do. Maybe we just need a bit of a helping hand to pull ourselves out of the quicksand that we sometimes find ourselves in. We believe you can be fantastic and be who you want to be, but you need to get the basics going to make it happen. Just give these few simple things a try, and then tune in again for what you can do to make your life even better. Hang in there and be fantastic, we believe in you.
