One of my favourite shows is Grey’s Anatomy. It’s a guilty pleasure, the type of show I can always come back to and enjoy. There was an episode in season nine where Meredith ( the main character in case you didnât know) talked about a perfect storm; the sensation of everything that could go wrong, going wrong. This perfect storm theory is something I have felt many times before. It seems as though when something in my life doesn’t go as planned, everything following it just seems to get worse and worse. I have no idea if this is just how I see it because I’m trying to cope or if everything is truly going wrong, but it feels as though my experience with this type of situation has been happening all too often.Â
Itâs hard to deal with everything going on in your life when youâre put into this type of situation. It’s difficult and no one wants to be forced to deal with it. But everyone struggles to a certain extent at some point, we’ve all had everything go wrong in some capacity. Some people experience the struggle in a much greater form than others. However, when you are down, itâs important to remember that you are not alone, even though it may feel like darkness is crushing down on you. I have certainly felt as though my whole world was crashing down around me, and I had no idea how I’m going to make it through. But I make it through. When it happens again, I once again feel my life collapsing, but I make it through. You can make it through these difficulties and you will. Â
I’ve learned many coping methods over the years to deal with the hard times when they hit me. Some of these ideas were fantastic, others were awful. I’ve decided to write down everything I have done that has helped me cope with the more difficult experiences I’ve been through.Â
Just take some time awayÂ
Sometimes when things go wrong or get out of hand, you may just need a little time to be by yourself, with your family or your friends, and that’s okay. An important thing to remember in difficult situations is that youâre the most important person in your personal situation. Itâs essential to do what will help you the most and give you the easiest recovery after your situation begins to improve. If you are able to, take some time away to rest, recuperate and reflect on the situation, as it may be very beneficial to you.Â
Work on accepting the situationÂ
Whether you like it or not, the situation youâre currently in is a situation thatâs happening. It doesn’t do you or anyone around you any favours if you just deny itâs happening. Acceptance is an essential part of beginning to recover as youâre not going to be able to improve anything if youâre in denial about what is happening. When you begin to accept what is going on in your life, it becomes easier to work your way back from difficult situations.Â
Write it all downÂ
Sometimes when it seems like everything is crashing down around you, you can make it out in your head to be a huge thing that youâre never going to get through. The human mind is a complex and complicated place that does a lot of thinking. Sometimes when something goes wrong, our brains do this lovely little thing called overthinking. We can turn something into a much bigger deal than it truly is and by writing things down, we can put all our problems into some perspective. For you, writing it down may just mean making a list of what the problems are. Sometimes seeing each issue individually can stop you from making it seem like so much more is wrong. It also may be writing a diary or recording your emotions. Writing about how youâre feeling can be very therapeutic. Itâs a great way to release all of the emotions youâre having in a healthy way.Â
Figure out everything you can control or changeÂ
When things go wrong, it can seem really overwhelming. Thereâs the feeling that weâre losing control of everything around us. It makes it feel like the world is crashing. Although many things may be out of your control, it can help you cope to determine what you are able to control. Sitting down and thinking about the situation, determining what is within your control and what things, no matter how small they are, you can control is helpful. It can allow you to begin to solve even the smallest issues and slowly begin to recover from a less than ideal situation.Â
Find a hobbyÂ
In some situations, it can be helpful to find a hobby or something you enjoy doing that can help take your mind off the difficulties in your life. For example, when things were looking down for me last year, I learned to sew, went thrift shopping and then customized all my thrifted clothes. It helped to take my mind off all the things that were going wrong and brought a little bit of joy back into my life.Â
Ask for helpÂ
Although humans constantly want to solve their problems on their own, it can be beneficial to just ask for help. We may be nervous, or worried about reactions or implications asking for help may have, but in reality, in the majority of situations asking for help may be the best course of action. In most situations, no one is judging you when you ask for help and if they are, it is likely they aren’t judging nearly as much as you may think they are. Asking someone can help improve your situation or keep you from getting into an even worse situation, this is an important thing to do.Â
Everyone faces challenges in their life, this is a given. Weâre all capable of making small changes or trying new things to help us deal with these situations. The most important thing to remember when things go wrong is that youâre not alone.