#1: PERSPECTIVE
Put simply, everyone is going through their own shit & crappy things happen to good people all day everyday. I’m not a glass half full kind of person, when the chips are down its because I ate them, along with a bucket of ice cream and two bottles of wine. I believe its OK to feel sorry for yourself, and it’s OK to cry, but do your best to keep it all in perspective…
I’ve had a shit 6 months but this week was aptly topped off with a late-friday-arvo-flat-battery, because old genius here had left the headlights on. It was just on dark, I was by myself, and I was 1.5 hours from home. Long story about why this isn’t an easy fix with a BMW, but I gave up, jumped on a train, and decided I’d deal with it tomorrow. The following day I was sulking all the way to collect the car (because I felt like an idiot, and because I ruined our plans for the weekend, and because it was just another link in my chain of bad luck) when an ambulance flew past us sirens blazing. I had a moment, there is someone somewhere waiting for that ambulance to arrive and their day is almost certainly ten billion times worse than mine.
So, lesson one is perspective; if you could pack this drama/issue/incident away in a box and still have things to be grateful for then you’re doing OK.
#2: EXERCISE
Any kind. It helps. Let me be clear – I do not like the gym, the gym is not my friend. But they do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer! So, go to the gym, go for a walk in the sunshine, stretch those limbs in a yoga class, or find a punching bag!
Personally, I find once I get started my walk turns into a run and before I know it I’m mentally sprinting as far away as I fucking can from my little piece of hell, and once I’m done I feel a hell of a lot better. The truth is I’m no closer to solving my life’s pains but I’m in a much clearer headspace to take on the day. This is why lesson number two is to get active (and of course there’s all sorts of science to back this up too).
#3: GOOD PEOPLE
This one’s pretty simple – surround your self with friends and family that care about you, and take a break from those that don’t. There’s a running joke amongst my friends because I put people into tiers of importance… it sounds terrible I know but actually this is a great little exercise. Sometimes you just need to be selfish, take time out, and focus on getting through what ever it is that’s happening, and the those top tier peeps should understand & encourage that. If you have people demanding more of you than you’re able to give, or being a bad influence on your state of mind… take a break. Surround yourself with the top tier.
#4: LAUGHTER
Look for the laughter. Even in the darkest of days and when you feel like laughter is impossible, when something is truly funny, you’ll laugh. Like Carey when Charlotte shat her pants in the SATC movie….
Or when this cat sits like a human.
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