Everyday Confidence Podcast
Confidence Quick Tips
Beat the Blues and Get Back on Track - Ep35
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Episode 35 – How to Beat the blues and get back on track.

So, here we are almost at the end of May and here in the South-west of the UK anyway, it’s been raining, pretty much non-stop for the last couple of weeks now. So finally, some of the recent restrictions from Covid have been lifted and we can finally meet up with our family and friends, and now we’ve got to contend with atrocious weather. And we’re less than a week away from the official start of summer!

Beat the bluesSo, It’s not surprising that our morale can drop and we start to feel sorry for ourselves. Once that happens, any thoughts we had that we could start to make a difference in our lives, goes down the toilet with our commitment.

So this podcast is about re-kindling our commitment to ourselves, overcoming the blues, and putting ourselves in a position to come back fighting.

Now, I’m using the term ‘beat the blues’, but what I really mean is anything that causes you to feel disappointment, discouragement, frustration, things like that.

Before I go through these five things, it’s worth remembering that there’s nothing wrong with feeling the effects of things like disappointment, or failure. Both of those things can give you the drive and determination to move forward stronger next time.

But, it’s important not to get stuck in a rut with them and let them determine your future. And that’s what these 5 things are gonna help with. Each one has its own way of helping you to beat the blues.

Now, I’m not trying to tell you you’ll never feel blue and you’ll never feel disappointed if you do these things. Just that, if you use these tools, you can deal with things like disappointment, quickly and efficiently without falling under their spell.

So, what are these five things?

Well, the first thing is

To put the disappointment, failure, frustration, whatever it is, in perspective.

It’s important to remember that these things are just feelings – feelings that come from our dominant thoughts about whatever just happened. And just like any other feeling, they will pass. Good feelings come and go in the same way that bad feelings come and go. Beat the blues - because verything will be okayNothing lasts forever, so put it in perspective. Sometimes, for example, we feel angry, it passes. Sometimes we feel passionate about something. And it passes. No one can feel passionate all the time, in the same way, that no one can feel angry all the time. It might feel like we can at the time. But it passes. So, whatever it is you’re feeling at the time will move on, guaranteed.

But, you’ll find they move on much more quickly if you don’t dwell on them. So, firstly, just relax, start something new and wait for those negative feelings to pass. And while you’re waiting, here’s a few things you can try to help them on their way.

So number 2 on the list is…

Thought Replacement.

This is one of the simplest things to do, but it can have a real impact if you do it properly. So, I’ve said before several times, that the things that happen to us can’t always be controlled. Some things just happen and we’ve no way of knowing. But we can always control how we feel about those things.

Thought ReplacementSo ask yourself questions like, “What does this really mean?” You’ll likely find that it’s not as bad as you thought it was in the beginning. Or, “What has this taught me, that’ll make a difference to my life in the future?” Because there’s always something positive to be gained from any situation or experience. You just have to be willing to look for it.

So, use questions like this to give you clarity about the situation. Looking at what happened logically, rather than emotionally can make a huge difference to the way you think about it.

Next is…

3. Spend time in the service of others.

Give to othersHelping someone out, or doing something simply because it’s a nice thing to do, can lift your mood immeasurably. And doing something for a cause that’s bigger than any individual, can change everything.

Contribution is something that’s overlooked by many people, but you’ve only got to look at the number of wealthy people who set up things like foundations and charities, to see how much emphasis they put on helping others. In fact, Deepak Chopra said something a while ago that resonated with me. He said…

“Each of us, is a unique strand in the intricate web of life, and here to make a contribution.”

 

Helping others is a great way to not only help someone else who needs it, but it makes you feel good too.

Number 4 is…

Learn how to relax.

When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, things always look worse. So, by not only physically relaxing but also mentally relaxing, you’ll bring calmness and peace into your world. And a relaxed mind is a strong mind.

Try relaxationYou can try deep regular breathing for a few minutes. Maybe try meditation. In fact, a daily session of meditation is a great healer. It’s something I’ve done for a while now and it helps centralize my thoughts and the calmness it gives me, helps me see things in a different light.

This one thing has really helped me to beat the blues.

If you don’t fancy that, though, then laughter is another great way to relieve stress and help you relax. So, maybe you could spend a few minutes on YouTube, checking out some of the funny stuff on there.

By way of Full disclosure though, I used to do that, but I’d usually end up spending two or three hours on there in what seemed at the time, like a few minutes. So I don’t really do that anymore. Kudos to YouTube though, because that’s clearly their intention. So just remember if you are going to do that, just be wary of how much time can pass before you realize it. Or maybe that’s just me. Something to think about though.

And finally, number 5…

Look for the comedy in your chaos.

Funny things happen to us pretty much every day. And, when they do we might have a bit of a chuckle but, then we quickly move on and forget about them. So, what I’d like to suggest is that you try to get every ounce of humor from the things that happen to you throughout the day.

Funny things happen all the timeThey say that laughter is the best medicine and when you make a plan to actually enjoy the funny things that happen to us every day, you reap the multitude of therapeutic benefits that laughter provides. And, it also helps you to remember that life doesn’t always have to be taken seriously.

So there you have it. five simple ways to beat the blues and help lift yourself out of the doldrums.

Number one, put it all in perspective. 2, use thought replacement. 3, spend time in the service of others. 4, learn how to relax and 5, look for the comedy in your chaos.

Give them all try. Some will work better for you than others. But they all work in their own way. So, give them a go and let me know which ones work best for you in the comments. If you’ve got any questions, you can ask them in the comments as well.

Steve

 

 

Podcast music: Is ‘Sweet Life’ by Twisterium.
Music Link: https://www.twisterium.com

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