How to Manage Unfortunate Events Without Letting Them Consume You

Collaborative Post

There’s no doubt about it that life has a knack for throwing curveballs our way, often when we least expect them. Often times when things are pretty bad. But misery loves company, right? When one bad thing after the other happens, it feels next to impossible to manage anxiety.

Honestly, it doesn’t really even matter what happened to you; whether it's a personal loss, a health crisis, or a financial setback, these events can hit hard. When they hit hard, they can hit really hard to the point where it feels like you just can’t recover in any way, shape, or form. And again, these tend to get worse as time progresses with an awful snowball effect. While it's essential to acknowledge our feelings and face the situation, it's equally crucial not to let these events consume us.

But of course, that’s way easier said than done; when it rains, it pours, and how can you manage that? Well, here’s what you need to know for managing these tough times without letting them take over your mental health.

Just Start By Accepting Your Feelings

First things first, it's okay to feel. Yes, you read that right, and you should feel, let yourself feel! Sadness, anger, frustration, and confusion are all natural responses to unfortunate events. So, just give yourself permission to feel these emotions without judgment.

Overall, bottling up your feelings or pretending everything is fine only leads to bigger issues down the road. It might help to talk to a friend, journal your thoughts, or simply sit with your feelings. The goal is to acknowledge and process them rather than letting them fester.

Focus on What You Can Control

When life feels chaotic, one of the best ways to regain a sense of stability is to focus on what you can control. You might not be able to change the event that happened, but you can control how you respond to it.

It’s way easier said than done, but it might really help to just set small, manageable goals for yourself. It could be as simple as maintaining a daily routine, exercising regularly, or making time for hobbies you enjoy. Actually, here’s a great example: debt. Debt is something that gets out of control fast, and when it’s out of control, it’s so hard to tame. Things tend to get worse and worse quickly. But for something like this, you still need to feel in control; you still need to set goals to mitigate this.

You are in control, there are ways to navigate debt relief and Alex Kleyner has a lot of advice to offer, and a lot of them can be ideal for creating these small goals. But overall, if you’re focusing on achievable tasks, it’s way easier to create a sense of order and progress in your life.

You Need to Reframe Your Perspective

It's easy to get stuck in a negative thought loop when bad things happen. It was already mentioned earlier that misery loves company, and it seems to love a full-on parade sometimes. But you’re going to have to try and reframe your perspective as this can help you see the situation differently.

For example, instead of focusing on what you've lost, try to find something positive to hold onto. Maybe this event has shown you the strength of your support network, or perhaps it's an opportunity to learn and grow. While it's not about putting on rose-colored glasses, finding a silver lining can shift your mindset and help you cope better.

—End of collaborative post—

Free self-development courses
👇

Tap on any of the courses below to start learning how to boost your productivity (with GTD), get focused (with Deep Work), design a successful and fulfilling life (with The 7 Habits course), or learn the art of influencing others (with the How to Win Friends & Influence People course.) All for free. 👇