How To Stay Focused When Feeling Down
All the people on this planet, you and I, at some point have felt down and lost motivation, sense of purpose, and sometimes even a part of ourselves, at least for a little while. It’s human and natural, it’s life challenging us all. And as you certainly have already noticed, trouble never comes alone, and you can easily let yourself get caught up, and end up in the dark side. After falling into the trap of fickle feelings, come all the questions leading to reconsider everything and everyone in your life, but not being in the right state of mind, the only answers that can come out of this thinking are unlikely to be the best for you. Falling into depression and/or losing your train of thought and life purpose is easy, but coming out of this position with a constructive plan, and climbing back to the lovely life that’s always been here is a very tough job, yet a possible one.
Here are 12 easy ways that will help you get back on track to achieving the most out of your life and putting you back in control!
Depression has the ability to affect people in so many different ways, to each its own. It might make you feel frustrated with yourself and your life to the most severe extent, but another person might feel the complete opposite and feel completely empty and losing focus and sense of purpose for example. Regardless of how depression makes you feel, taking time in your day to practice certain calming techniques will help you get some of the bad out.
Force yourself to relax and slow things down.
There are many different techniques to do this, you just need to find the one that works best for you.
Deep breathing, journaling, guided imagery, meditation, bath soaking, yoga, tai chi, qigong, soothing music, art therapy, sophrology are, among others, some mindfulness techniques able to calm you down. It’s important to try the ones that are the most appealing to you, to be able to personally experience them, and choose the one(s) working for you.
For example, my husband gets his focus back on track and releases stress by writing (listing) down all the things he’s grateful for, and through meditation. Meditation only makes me feel worse, all type of thoughts start hitting me, whether it’s list of chores, all the people I have to email, appointment dates, work ideas etc. Sitting, closing my eyes and just breathing didn’t make it, but something that has helped me was (still is!) taking up Yoga.
Having people to talk to makes all the difference.
Knowing that no matter what's next for you, someone will have your back, but will also be here to see you shine, and share happy moments with (and vice versa). Whether you are going through a tough breakup, are stressing over your next finals, or have recently lost your job, knowing your loved ones are here and you won’t end up nor alone, nor without a roof above your head are crucial.
They should be people you can be yourself, open, raw, and honest with, so you can tell them about what you’re going through (or have gone through) and your feelings, without feeling judged. It’s also important that you respect their opinions so you can value the quality advice they give to you.
Lazing around is a normal reaction when you feel like you lost your purpose, or can’t seem to find a way to fix your troubles, but it only makes it worse.
Getting active is the best advice I could personally give you, from experience. “Healthy mind in a healthy body”, exercising is like magic, as soon as you start moving around on a regular basis, everything seem to get into place: your mood is naturally regulated, it improves self-control, self-esteem, confidence, reduces unhealthy cravings, and many more.
Getting out for a run, a walk, a tennis game, the gym or a swim is certainly just what you need. Plus, keeping your body busy will also occupy your mind. Being active releases hormones such as Endorphins and Dopamine instantly put you in a better mood.
Don’t be discouraged by unfinished or broken resolutions. Resolutions don’t have to start at the beginning of the year, the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, or even the beginning of the day.
For example, if one of your goal is to eat cleaner, don’t feel guilty about the delicious almond croissant you had for breakfast; you can get back by eating better from now on, and a cheat meal from time to time never hurt anyone.
Most importantly, write down your goals on paper, and how to achieve them. Don’t only write your ultimate goals down (dream career, dream house, dream car, financial stability etc.). Writing down weekly goals, which will lead to your ultimate ones are the way to achieve all of your dreams. For example, writing down that later on, you wish to own a lovely family house in the suburb, won’t take you very far. Approach that way, it might only stay one of your dream; the proper approach would be in form of questions, "how to make this dream of yours become reality?”, “what is/are the next steps that will take you closer to this dream?”.
Setting new goals, breaking them down, and starting to realize the smallest ones, to achieve the ultimate one is the way to go. It’ll make you feel productive and will take way you one step closer to your dream.
Interacting with nature is a way to get in touch with our soul, and profound self. Mother Earth is where we truly come from after all…
It’s scientifically proven that connecting with Mother Nature improves our sense of well-being, reduces fatigue by allowing the mind to relax and restore itself. An organic landscape provides a calming space, which can help restore our ability to focus.
Sit on a bench soaking in the rays of the sun, lay out on a field of freshly cut grass, soak up the great outdoorsy air from the top of a mountain, go watch the sunset from a deserted beach, go skinny-diving, go hiking, reconnect with all the luscious nature we are blessed with! Getting fresh oxygen and Vitamin D from sunlight is proven to make you feel better, both inside and out.
Consuming junk food is far worse than it seems, and when consumed too often, it instantly brings down your mood. Also, pay more attention to your feelings (physical and mental) when consuming food, you may notice a difference when avoiding dairy, meat, or gluten etc. Food affects people differently, so you simply need to get to know yourself better and notice what food your organism likes better than others.
And of course, try eating as healthy as possible. Avoid junk food, switch to a healthy diet, and make sure you don’t overeat. You simply don’t want to feel sluggish when you’re trying to be productive.
Spending time in an untidy space is bound to make you feel bad. You’ll feel claustrophobic and unorganised surrounded by all the clutter. Take time to clean your work or living space; the act of cleaning will restart those gears and make you feel productive. You’ll be surprised by how great you feel once you do this.
ps: once your environment feels better, open all the windows to change the air, and keeping the windows open, and burn some sage to cleanse and chase the negative energy.
Sometimes change is good and necessary!
Once your space is all tidied-up, try re-arranging it. I know we are just adding in more work that necessary but trust me, moving furniture and wall hangings around will make your space look different and new, and that might just rejuvenate your mood. If nothing else, the act of re-arranging will keep you occupied, and the results you’ll see, as soon as you get started, will keep you motivated.
Once you’ve started getting active, eating cleaner, and (re)connect with Mother Earth, you’re already on your way to happier times.
Now, keeping your body and mind (which are in sync) in a healthy state, is your next challenge. But don’t worry, you’ll quickly get the hang of it as you see progress.
This lifestyle will keep your mood, physical and mental health healthy, which will inspire you to be even more productive.
One of the first signs of depression is closing yourself off to others, which will only make you fell worse. You need to be around people, even if you have to push yourself to act interested or enjoy their company at this time. Forcing yourself to act social, talk and smile will make you feel surprisingly good. You’d think it would make you feel fake, but making yourself smile will actually lead to real smiles. Try it!
It’s also important from time to time, to be reminded that the world doesn’t revolve around you and your own problems, and that people might also be facing troubles, and be in need of your support.
Taking care of you is not optional, but a necessity.
Whatever you do, do not overwork yourself. Taking frequent breaks from the tasks at hand, be it a work project or chores at home, will help you “re-charge” thus, increase productivity. Overworking yourself will easily wear your body and mind out, and worse, invite depression to overstay its welcome. If you’re worn out, you’ll find it so much harder to be productive no matter the difficulty of the task.
Evaluate your timing and type of tasks, to manage your time, and go grab a coffee, go breathe some fresh air, go for a quick mani pedi, or a massage. You might feel like wasting some working time, but I guarantee you that it’ll make you feel better, physically and mentally, as well as increase your work rate.
Don’t let your goals seem too daunting or overwhelming. Thinking that something is unachievable will make it even harder to get started, which means you’ll never get to being productive! Break larger goals into smaller, tinier steps that will be easier to accomplish. A trick is to make to-do-lists that give you time to tackle each task without feeling like you’re on a tight deadline, hitting realistic goals will enhance your confidence—which in turn will increase your motivation.
Some of these strategies and tips will allow you to think and work differently right away, whilst others will take a little longer to implement but will be key to your long-term success.
Creating a balance between how you feel, how you think, how you work and how you spend your time is extremely important to your long-term health, mental wellbeing and the realization of your dreams and happiness. The desire to create change can only come from within. Following these strategies and tips will set you on the right path and lead you to becoming the best version of yourself!