The harsh reality is life isn’t always sunshines and rainbows — not should it be. It’s the bad times that make the good times even richer. But let’s focus on the bad times for this article, specifically how to inspire yourself to get out of the bad rut.
We have five sure-fire tactics that can help you bounce back. These will help no matter what type of “funk” you’re in — whether you’re gambling away a small fortune at popular betting site BetOnline or you broke up with a significant other, as pure hypothetical examples.
Get Morning Sun
How you start the day is going to set the wheels in motion for how the rest of it goes. Hit the snooze button and consume social media (and other people’s thoughts) right off the bat? Welp, you’re already caving in to others’ needs. Instead, put yourself first and try to take a morning walk outside.
Moreover, scientific studies suggest natural sunlight upon waking can kickstart your body. Specifically, the Sun triggers a neural circuit that controls the timing of the hormones cortisol and melatonin, which affect sleep at the end of the day. These effects will last the entire day and matter especially when you’re ready to hit bed.
Connect With Others
Humans are social creatures — yes, even if you’re a natural introvert. When times are rocky, it may seem like a good idea to lock yourself up and avoid others. However, this is actually the opposite of what you should do. Few things jolt a person’s energy like connecting with others. The keyword in the last sentence is connect.
If you want to be inspired, you need to talk to inspiring people that have an ability to lift others up. Even venting your issues to them will help, it certainly beats locking them inside oneself. For those that are thinking to themselves, “I don’t have anyone to trust” then May we suggest therapy? Options exist in every city and certainly offline if you prefer that. The point is: get out and talk to someone.
Dig Into Comfort Media
Ever heard of comfort food? Ya know, eating meals that remind you of a certain time and place? Welp, the same exists for pieces of media — the movie you watched on repeat as a kid, the video game you played till your fingers hurt, or the book that made you fall in love with reading, for example.
Consuming these favorite media forms will take your mind out of the current situation and transport you into “better” times. Now, we’re not advocating for complete escapism — no, just temporary. Those good feelings you experience watching your favorite flick will trickle over into other activities, believe it or not.
Submerge Yourself In Nature
This tactic sort of piggybacks off our first one about getting sun. However, in this one, we’re suggesting you “lose yourself” in a natural landscape. This could be anything — a pristine beach, a picture-esque mountainscape, or heck, even a dry desert. The point is: get out and experience the natural world for what it is.
What can you expect out of this? Welp, it’s a two-fold experience (if you let it be). The first effect typically is reduced feelings of anger, fear, and stress. We mean, how could you not be, if say, you come across a deer near the mountains?
A second byproduct is richer appreciation of the enormity of life. While sometimes it may feel like you’re playing a single-player game through life, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything in the world contributes to something — trees produce the oxygen you breathe, bees pollinate the plants you eat and so forth. Realizing this can contribute to a sense of gratefulness for existing in this crazy, big world we inhabit.
Journal Your Thoughts
Last but not least we suggest you journal your thoughts. If you’ve read this far, we appreciate your time but you’re reading our own thoughts. If you actually write, you’ll be contributing your own ideas.
Build a lengthy enough journal and you can reference previous days — when you were happy, sad, and everything in between. Having all these days written down somewhere will make you realize that the tough times will likely pass and the good times will return, like they usually do in life.