When things go wrong, they really go wrong.\u00a0 In the span of two weeks, I lost my biggest contract job, my entire family came down with a stomach flu, my husband had to leave on a long business trip, and I barely missed getting into a traffic accident three times within 48 hours.\u00a0 I tried to maintain a positive attitude, but with each setback, I felt my frustration mounting.\u00a0 My anger came out in sarcastic bursts.\u00a0 I lost motivation to get things done.\u00a0 At the end of the two-week period, I could feel depression mounting, even though most aspects of my life were looking better again.<\/p>\n
Depression runs in my family, and I\u2019ve sought counseling a time or two at very low points in my life.\u00a0 I\u2019ve picked up a few tricks and tips to manage frustration, and I realized that I had not employed any of those techniques during this unfortunate series of events.\u00a0 When my cloud didn\u2019t lift, I tried these ways to manage my frustration:<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to snap at family and friends when you\u2019re going through a rough period, but what you\u2019re really doing is transferring your anger onto a source that can\u2019t solve the problem.\u00a0 I scheduled a sit-down meeting with the company where I lost the job contract.\u00a0 They assured me my work wasn\u2019t the issue, but a matter of budget.\u00a0 They would gladly hire me again once their business picked up.\u00a0 Knowing this greatly eased my frustration.\u00a0 I would have never known this had I not gone to the source.<\/p>\n
When life gets rough, it\u2019s good assess all your advantages.\u00a0 \u00a0I make lists \u2013 mental and physical \u2013 of all the great things I have going for me: my family, my friends, my health.\u00a0 Even during times of great stress and isolation, I\u2019ve found something to hold onto: purpose in a job, hobbies I enjoy, or just calling distant friends who have no idea of my current troubles.\u00a0 Knowing that I have a foundation of happiness, even when sometimes it doesn\u2019t feel like it, helps me get through a particularly dark moment.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s nothing worse than having a terrible series of days, and you have nothing to look forward to but more drudgery.\u00a0 My husband knew I was going through a rough patch and insisted that we do something I wanted once he returned from his business trip.\u00a0 I spent his time away from home daydreaming about the fun things our family would do.\u00a0 When you plan something fun, you not only get the satisfaction of doing it, you get the happy feeling of anticipation leading up to the event, taking the edge off of other things in your life.<\/p>\n
When I got sick, the first thing I gave up was my exercise routine.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t pick it back up once I felt better again, justifying that I had other demands on my time.\u00a0 I made compromises on maintaining my health, and it never works out.\u00a0 Once I started working out and sleeping well again, my attitude improved tremendously.<\/p>\n
Everyone feels down now and again.\u00a0 It\u2019s normal to have a week or two where things just blow up in your face and you wish you could just close your eyes and go back to sleep in the morning.\u00a0 However, if that becomes the norm, you should consider outside help.\u00a0 Thoughts of suicide and cutting yourself off completely from everything you love are also signals that you should get help.\u00a0 Getting help doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re weak or broken.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s a sign of maturity that you\u2019re trying to acknowledge you have a problem and get better.<\/p>\n
Life still isn\u2019t 100% for me, given that I\u2019m switching things up with my work life, but it\u2019s much better than it was a few weeks ago.\u00a0 I\u2019m taking the time to appreciate what I have and make moments to look forward to.\u00a0 And I always know, if the frustration gets to be too much, I can find someone who will listen.<\/p>\n
About The Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n Deborah Fike is the founder of\u00a0Avalon Labs<\/a>, which provides marketing consultations and writing services for start-ups and online businesses.\u00a0 \u00a0She carves out a significant portion of her time to raising her two young daughters.<\/p>\n