Mia
There is no doubt about the fact that sooner or later, life is going to throw a curveball at you. It’s going to send something your way that you weren’t expecting. Sooner or later, something is bound to happen, and while many times you will get a lot of good surprises, there will be a lot more times when the surprise isn’t so pleasant.
Sometimes, we don’t realize that we are actively building up an obstacle. For instance, you don’t get overweight overnight. Being overweight, underweight, or generally not happy with your physical condition is something that is the result of several years of living a certain lifestyle. But it’s one day when you try doing something that you were once good at and realize that you can’t do it when you understand how much your health has depreciated.
They say you only really lose when you decide to quit when you don’t get up after a fall. The only way you are going to overcome an obstacle is to do something about it. In order to have this proactive approach, you need to be in a positive mindset. You need to look at life with a can-do attitude, and this can be difficult to do when you are in the thick of a trying situation.
Here are a few things you can do on a daily basis to help keep yourself in a positive state of mind, which will help you deal with anything that life throws at you.
1. Physical Fitness
Your mind is part of your body and in order to keep the mind healthy, it needs to exist in a healthy environment. While staying physically fit is definitely good for your health and your body, it’s also very beneficial for your mind. Exercise helps you generate endorphins, which are feel-good hormones. These are the same hormones that are released when you have an enjoyable meal, watch a great film, or your favorite sports team wins the highly-anticipated event. When we go through rough patches in life, things that generally entertain us suddenly seem to not be that enjoyable anymore. Things we would otherwise enjoy doing seem boring and pointless. However, exercise is a way for us to generate endorphins, regardless of how we feel about the actual activity. Even if you don’t want to get up and run, doing so will create an endorphin rush every time.
2. Mental Fitness
When things don’t go according to plan, and we are stuck in a situation we didn’t anticipate, the first response is stress and worry. It’s natural and everyone feels it, but if it gets to the point where it’s crippling your ability to think clearly and take action, then it’s a problem. For instance, when people who are looking to make a health change look in the mirror, just seeing how much work is required can be mentally crippling. In this situation, you need health affirmations that you can repeat to yourself, which will help you develop a more positive mindset, and they will become a source of encouragement. Many times you are going to be on your own, and you are the only person who is going to have your back. While we do thrive off compliments and encouragement from others, it can be really helpful if we do that to ourselves. Rather than relying on an external source of motivation, you need to be your own best friend and motivate yourself in difficult moments.
3. Taking Time Off
The other part of health is recovery and rest. Without proper rest, you can’t endure a long journey, and life is one of the most challenging endurance activities there is. If you feel like you just don’t have the energy to tackle the tasks ahead of you, you probably need more sleep, or you need to improve your sleeping routine. Sleep plays an important role, not only in physical recovery but in mental health as well. However, more than just getting enough hours, it’s also about creating a regular sleep routine. In fact, sporadic sleep cycles will do you more harm than good.
Lastly, endurance sports are all about patience and consistency, and life is the best example of that. Whenever you feel like you are in a tough situation, calm yourself with the thought that it’s not going to get better overnight. Many times we are in such a hurry for things to improve that it adds to the stress of the situation. Even though we know we aren’t going to completely change a difficult situation in an hour, we are still impatient and that creates more anxiety. Take things slowly, but make sure you are doing something every day to change and improve your situation.
