Before You Quit

Hi everyone,

 Hope you all been well. We all live busy fast paced lives and plenty to do, however it is difficult to stay motivated when you’re feeling down – especially at work. It’s hard enough to get out of bed some mornings, not to mention wrap my brain around deadlines, blog post or God forbid a presentation. I’ll just completely shut down and desperately look for way to distract myself from my feelings. This is something that I struggle with a lot, but I’d thought I would share a few strategies that have helped. 

• Step back, self-reflect and pray – I found this is a good way of getting the root of my feelings.
•  Listen to music - Music can heal, put you in a better mood, and make you feel less alone, or take you on a mental journey. I really on this heavily.
•  Reach out to someone. I used to bottle up my feelings out of fear that I would be judged if I talked about them. But reaching out to a loving, understanding person really helps. 
• Laugh – Share something with someone who has a good sense of humour or listen to comedy shows through your headphones (Kevin Hart is pretty good). Laughing releases tension and has a natural ability to heal. .
•  Cry. I don’t like crying in front of people, but whenever I have an opportunity to slink away and cry by myself, I always feel better afterwards. Crying releases pain.
•  Take a mental health day. Sometimes we just need to take a day to clear our heads and nurture our souls. My mental health has a history of being a bit erratic, so nurturing it is a priority in my life. If that means talking a ‘sick day’ then *cough, cough* - you know what to do ;-)

It can be hard to find privacy in the work place people are constantly in your face and wanting to know where you are so here is my tip for getting away for a few minutes. 

Tea breaks/ toilets/ cigarette breaks – you do not have to take up the habit of smoking but going outside for 5 minutes every now and then will do you good. Shut your eyes and do breathing exercises. I also find focusing on something in the distance, taking in the sunlight or simply enjoy natural surroundings (I.e Rivers, flowers).

I hope you guys find these tips and suggestions helpful; because these things are really saved me from losing my mind when I've been having a bad or sad day.