Picking Yourself Up When You Feel Like You’ve Never Been Lower

 

 

In the year 2007, the world was thrown into a global economic crisis, the likes of which had not been experienced in many living people’s memories. Credit crisis turned to global economic uncertainty, which in turn led to the insecurity of businesses and extreme job insecurity.

Many were hit hard with the reality that they were losing their jobs. The loss of a job is a soul-destroying event in anyone’s life. It can throw people into a deep place of depression and feeling of worthlessness.

Taking away someone’s ability to provide for his or her family, particularly if the person is a man, husband, and father, is something pretty hard to describe or quantify particularly to someone who has not gone through the experience first hand.

The feeling of depression can, of course, vary from person to person; some people are naturally more predisposed to feelings of depression and sadness while others can have a lot thrown at them before depression takes a proper hold. The human being is conditioned largely by society to hide feelings from peers and families but be under no illusion: Stress and depression are mental illnesses and nothing about which to be ashamed.

In fact, the realization and admission that there is a problem can often be a massive step on the road to recovery. They can be fought and overcome and there is (usually) an answer or solution. If the stress is to do with losing one’s income and employment then clearly securing new employment is the answer.

The best possible way in which to combat this feeling of helplessness is not to allow the depression to envelop you but to fight. Choose your mindset, decide what you want to achieve and by when and most crucially how. So how do you motivate yourself to get back up and out to find a new job?

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Well being of the mind

The largest tool you have available at your disposal is your mind. Using your mind to keep you mentally healthy can be a massive string to your bow in the fight against stress and depression. By training your mind to be positive instead of negative you give yourself to best possible start in your bid to motivate and inspire yourself.

Only someone who believes in himself will persuade others to do the same. By using your mind maybe you can retrain to be qualified to carry out a different job role and in effect wipe the slate clean and psychologically start over. 

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Support Network

As with anyone trying to help a loved one to fight hard times in life, such as bereavement or drug or alcohol addictions – Find treatment for an alcoholic, the support of the people around you is utterly paramount in times of stress.

Having a spouse who understands and supports you rather than belittles and makes the situation worse for you is vital in overcoming the barriers. Surround yourself with positive people; support groups are a great way in which to find help.

Cut out the people in your life who do not help your situation. This might seem an extreme measure, but it is an important one and does not have to be permanent. You need to look to your surrounding world for their support and understanding and be ruthless in the type of support you are looking for.

Talking and voicing concerns is great therapy. As already mentioned, admitting you have sad feelings and what the root of the problem is a vital step and building on this with honesty and collaboration with friends and family makes you stronger.

Visualization is a valuable trick too. Take a second to think of how it will feel to achieve your goal, how it feels to have a job again, it makes you feel like a winner. So make your subconscious mind understand that feeling of winning, the yearning to win and you will actually begin to realize these feelings in real life and SUCCEED.

Write down small goals, week by week write a plan of what you plan to achieve and maybe share them with a friend or spouse so they can help keep you focused on the week ahead. When you achieve them: reward yourself and celebrate them by talking to people and telling them. They will be as pleased for you as you are and you will be ready for the next challenge.

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Exercise and Diet

Enjoying a well-balanced and nutritious diet is a weapon against stress and depression. By fueling your body with a balance of protein, carbohydrate, fruit, and vegetables with varied color ranges you will improve your state of mind immediately. When you go to the grocery store plan your meals and ensure they represent all food groups.

Reduce your alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes too, although you feel you need them more than ever when you are stressed they will become a crutch which you will find it hard to break away from, so visualize not turning to them for support, maybe do some exercise instead.

Exercise provides an outlet to release your feelings and channel them to good use. Plan some form of exercise on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be at the gym. Walking is fantastic exercise, gets you out into the fresh air and is free. Build up to a jog and before you know it you could be running through your stress and working it out of your body.

Motivating yourself to get out of a situation is not an easy challenge. Only you are able to do it though, no one else is going to give you your goal, there is only one person that can affect it and achieve it, (with support) and when you do so, be proud!