Everyone has bad days. Unless you’re a robot or a saint, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll eventually have to deal with some sort of setback. Maybe your car breaks down, or maybe you fail an important test. Or maybe, just maybe, you find out that your significant other has been cheating on you for the past six months.
There are about a million different ways for things to go wrong in life, and we all have to figure out how to deal with it when they do. That’s where the idea of “rolling with the punches” comes into play. There will be moments in life when things do not go your way. And when those moments arise, it’s essential that you know how to cope with them effectively.
When you’ve had a setback, it can feel like the world is against you. Maybe you’re not graduating when expected, or maybe you fell out with your best friend. In any case, when things go bad, it’s natural to feel discouraged and want to give up—but bouncing back from failure is one of the most important things we can do in life.
Why? Because resilience is an essential part of success! The ability to recover from failure shows that we have strength and character that will help us overcome challenges in other areas of our lives, too. We learn from our mistakes and are better prepared for future challenges because we know how hard it was for us before we were able to recover from them successfully. And as I mentioned earlier, bouncing back just feels good! When life throws us curveballs (and they always do), it helps us stay positive by reminding us that everything works out eventually—even if there are some bumps along the way.
Sometimes life hits you with a punch.
And you don’t know how to handle it.
You can’t talk to your friends about it because they’ll just say “it’s okay” and “everything happens for a reason.” And maybe that’s true, but what if it’s not? What if it feels like your life is falling apart and there’s nothing you can do about it?
It’s okay to not be okay. You don’t have to pretend like everything is fine when it isn’t. You’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling at the moment. You’re allowed to seek help from others who have gone through similar experiences as yourself.
The only thing that will make this moment better is time—and even then, there will always be moments when you feel like nothing has changed at all. That’s why I believe in this quote so much: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” It doesn’t matter what kind of lemons life gives you—whether they are sour or sweet—you can still make something good out of them!
Everyone makes mistakes. That’s just a fact, and it’s one you can’t control. We often beat ourselves up for things that happened in the past; it could be something as minor as simple miscommunication, or something more serious, like getting into a physical altercation.
There’s a lot to be learned from mistakes. You can’t always be perfect, but you can learn from your failures and put that knowledge into practice the next time you face a similar situation. In the heat of the moment, we might make a hasty decision or say something that we don’t really mean, and that’s okay. Not everyone practices self-control in heated situations. Learning how to avoid making the same mistake twice is one of the best lessons we can take away from our mistakes. Knowing our limits is also crucial.
One of the best ways to learn from our mistakes is to be honest with ourselves about what happened and why. If we’re not honest with ourselves, then it’ll be hard for us to figure out what went wrong and how we could have done things differently. It is also okay to accept the fact that you fucked up. Don’t be too scared or so immature that you don’t accept fault or blame. We’re human.
Give yourself permission to feel whatever you’re feeling, even if that means anger, sadness, or frustration. When you’re going through a hard time, it can be easy to get caught up in the negative feelings and doubt yourself. You might feel like you’ll never get out of the hole you’ve found yourself in, or that your situation is so bad that there’s no way out.
As you’re getting over a rough time, it’s important to give yourself time to heal. Don’t rush through the process. Don’t try to pretend like nothing happened and don’t be hard on yourself. Try being gentle with yourself by taking things one day at a time, give yourself the time and space to figure how to navigate through the situation.
Take time to heal after an enormous loss or disappointment—you’ll get back on track more quickly if you give yourself some space to process. This has been my experience for the last few months. I’ve had to accept my reality, reset, and restructure. It may not always be easy, but try embracing kindness and self-compassion as much as possible (especially when things aren’t going your way). Remember that everyone goes through hard times at some point in life—but we can all help each other by supporting one another through those tough times!
With Love—
Perplexxed <3.
Perplexxed. 