No matter who you are, you are going to have ups and downs in your life. There will be highs and lows, stress and happiness, and so on and so forth. The length of time these lows will last will vary depending on who you are and how you cope. If you’re the type of person who throws pity parties and feels sorry for themselves over every little thing, these times will last longer; and if you’re someone who keeps trudging forward no matter what, then these lows will be fleeting. But what happens when you find yourself in a place you can’t seem to find your way out of? What do you do then?
Below I’m going to break down the two telltale signs that you’re in a legitimate slump rather than just throwing a pity party for yourself, then I’m going to break down how to snap yourself out of it. Disclaimer: All of these are practices that I’ve implemented recently, as I found myself in a very dark place following something I learned about my neck injury. During the worst of it, it felt as though this black cloud hanging over my head would never go away. I had no motivation or inspiration. I kept working and keeping the blog updated during all of this, but I wasn’t inspired to do anything else. This was the first time in my life that I’ve ever felt like this, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t feel like myself at all–this isn’t me, I’m not the kind of person who gets sad and down over anything; I’m the kind of person who keeps walking forward regardless of whether or not the world around me is falling apart. I asked my boyfriend if everything I was feeling was normal, and he told me that yes, it was, and it made perfect sense considering what I’d just gone through. In all my life, I’ve never felt like I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, but this time, I did.
I’m not saying all of this as a way to gain sympathy, I’m saying it because I just went through and am currently dealing with the residual side effects of a very deep, dark slump. Using these techniques to snap myself out of it finally allowed me to see that little sliver of light again. Take these practices and steps to help yourself snap out of a slump. I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me.
Signs you’re in a legitimate slump:
- Real sh*t just happened. If you’ve just suffered a major blow in your life and find yourself suddenly drawing into yourself, then you’re definitely in a legitimate slump. Some examples of this would be finding out devastating news about your health, losing your job, or recently experiencing a major life-changing experience. This is stuff that isn’t always necessarily stressful per se, but the kind of stuff that causes a swift kick in the gut and pushes you into the slump you’re now in.
- There’s a hormonal shift happening in your body. I don’t know why hormones aren’t talked about more in the general public because they’re something every human has and they affect each person differently. Everyone likes to joke about women and their PMS, or their crying outbursts around their period, but no one ever talks about what goes on in men; they also have hormonal shifts that happen as they age. Again, depending on the person, hormones will affect everyone differently, but when there’s a major life-shift or you’re going through/just went through a very stressful time mentally and physically (i.e dealing with an injury) your body is going to react. Huge hormonal shifts—again, in both men and women—can be caused by numerous things, but they have the ability to both really put you in a slump, or enhance the tough time you’re already going through and make everything that much worse.
RELATED POSTS
This list is short for a reason, and that’s because we so often see people feeling sorry for themselves over things that we all have to go through in our own ways. Sitting around and wallowing in your sorrows isn’t going to get you very far in life, so it’s best to realize that we all have things to deal with, get over it, and move on. Like I said, we all have ups and downs, that’s a part of life, but there are times when we may find ourselves in a dark place that we’re unable to get out of.
How to snap yourself out of it:
- Identify your emotions. The first thing you should do to snap yourself out of a slump is acknowledge everything you’re feeling. Admitting to yourself you’re having a tough time will make this time easier to deal with and get through. Know that it’s OK to feel everything you’re feeling. Ignoring everything you’re feeling will only make it worse. You can shove feelings down and ignore them, but eventually they’re going to have to go somewhere, and they’re going to rise to the surface again.
- Acknowledge where they stem from. Once you’ve identified everything you’re feeling, you can figure out where these emotions are coming from. What’s causing you to feel this way? Why do you think you’re in a slump right now? Asking yourself questions like this will allow you to understand that what you’re going through is real and not made up in your head. This two-step system is one that I’ve relied on heavily recently. Identifying and acknowledging where your emotions stem from will help you sort your mind out and also make you see if you’re making it worse by amplifying it in your own head, which obviously won’t be the case if you’re truly going through something real.
- Get it out. Keeping everything bottled up inside will only prolong the slump and make it worse, so it’s important you release that negative stress and energy from inside yourself. Try writing down everything you’re feeling or venting to someone who will simply listen to you and not try to solve your problems. Getting it out will also help prevent you from exploding later on. I’m a huge advocate for journaling because you can get lost in releasing everything from your mind, and you can do it however you want, there doesn’t have to be an order to your thoughts. I always say this, but if you’re unable to vent, write down your thoughts, how your day was, and any emotions you’re feeling or felt throughout the day. Releasing the tension inside yourself into the universe with these practices is highly effective.
- Reset. It’s important that you’re gentle with yourself during a time like this. You need to give yourself that break if you want to move forward. Don’t give up on your responsibilities completely, but allow yourself time for yourself. Practice self-care, go on a nature walk, take the time to meditate or heal with crystals—whatever you do, just make sure you’re allowing yourself time to reset. I’ve found that taking the time to reset when I’m in a slump only makes me want to get back to normal even more. To me, taking time off symbolizes a dark place in my life, and that’s I place I don’t want to be. After a couple of days of being gentle with myself, I’ll wake up ready to work again. You’ll feel the same, too. The clouds may not go away completely, but they’ll part ever so slightly, allowing the tiniest sliver of sun to peek in. On the days when you can see the sun again, try easing yourself back into your normal life.
- Let yourself feel it, but don’t let it control you. This is the final step in snapping out of a slump. Once you know what you’re feeling, where it’s stemming from, and have begun to unburden yourself of it, allowing yourself to feel the emotions as they come but taking away their power will not only be empowering, it’ll allow you to break out of the dark place you’re in. You’re allowed to feel however you’re feeling, but you don’t have to let the emotions control you. You’re allowed to feel sad, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend all day crying and eating chocolate. You’re allowed to feel angry, but that doesn’t mean you have to go around breaking things and people because of it. You get the picture. There are things in life that are beyond our control, but we have to control the things that we can control and let everything else go. We can’t control how we feel sometimes, but we can control what we do about it. Once you take away the power of your emotions, you take back control of your life.
