A LOT OF WHAT MAKES US FEEL DO DOWN IS THAT FEELING OF ENTRAPMENT ,A VICIOUS CIRCLE OF LIFE THAT WE DON,T SEEM TO BE ABLE TO BREAK IT PLAYS ON OUR MINDS ,FRUSTRATES US ,WEARS US DOWN.
I WROTE ON THIS MANY YEARS AGO WHEN I FELT EXACTLY THIS WAY I HAD TO DO A VERY SIMPLE SMALL CHORE (EMPTYING THE DISHWASHER) AND YET IT SEEMED LIKE THE MOST ARDUOUS TASK TO UNDERTAKE ,I MOANED ,GAVE OUT BUT EVENTUALLY DID IT UNDER PROTEST.IT TOOK ALL OF 5 MINUTES TO COMPLETE. AND I FELT DRAINED AFTER IT STILL COMPLAINING THAT I WASN'T DOING THAT EVER AGAIN, WOW!! WHAT A REACTION TO AN EVERYDAY NORMAL TASK.
IT ACTUALLY PUT ME IN BAD MOOD AND MADE ME FEEL DOWN ,THE QUESTION IS WHY?.
A DIFFICULT ONE TO ANSWER EXACTLY
SADNESS IS A TEMPORARY STATE THAT OFTEN HAS A CLEAR CAUSE LAIKE A BIG DISAPOINTMENT ,THE LOSS OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU OR BAD NEWS FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW.THIS TYPE OF SADNESS CAN CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY AND THE WEIGHT OF IT MAY FEEL VERY HEAVY AT TIMES LEADING TO CRYING,WANTING TO BE LEFT ALONE ,TIREDNESS AND FAILURE TO BE PRESENT IN THE MOMENT,ALTERNATIVELY YOU MAY GET LOST IN SOMETHING YOU REALLY ENJOY AND THE WEIGHT OF THE SADNESS MAY FEEL LIKE NOTHING AT ALL.
PERSISTENT SADNESS IS A DIFFERENT MATTER ALTOGETHER IT CAN COMPLETELY ENGULF YOU BLOCKING OUT ALL THE SENSES OF JOY OF EVERYDAY LIFE,YOU FEEL EMPTY ,LOW, DEFEATED AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE YOU FIND IT VERY HARD TO HELP YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE SO UNSURE AS TO HOW IT EVEN STARTED.FEELING THIS WAY ISN'T UNUSUAL AFTER ALL SADNESS IS A NORMAL HUMAN EMOTION HOWEVER ONE THAT DOSEN'T HAVE A REASON BEHIND IT OR ENDING TO IT MAY SUGGEST THAT SOMETHING DEEPER IS GOING ON.
TRY TO HELP YOURSELF
THINK OF A RECENT TIME WHEN YOU FELT REALLY BAD ,AND TRY TO REMEMBER BOTH HOW YOU FELT AND REACTED.
WRITE THESE DOWN UNDER THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES AND HOW THEY DIFFER FROM THE NORM.
- DESCRIBE THE SITUATION
- YOUR FEELINGS
- YOUR THOUGHTS
- YOUR BEHAVIOUR
- YOUR PHYSICAL FEELINGS
DOES THIS RESEMBLE ANY SORT OF A PATTERN FOR YOU WHEN THINGS ARE BAD ,IN OTHER WORDS IS THIS A VICIOUS CYCLE YOU FALL INTO ANYTIME A SITUATION ARISES WHERE YOU FEEL DIFFERENT,LOW ,BAD, DOWN OR JUST PLAIN NOT RIGHT.
THE GREAT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT CYCLES IS THAT THEY TURN BOTH WAYS ,IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY ONE MOMENT/THOUGHT CAN LEAD TO EVERYTHING ELSE FEELING WORSE,ONE MOMENT/THOUGHT CAN ALSO LEAD TO EVERYTHING ELSE FEELING A LOT BETTER..REMEMBER WHAT YOU ARE STRIVING FOR IS TO BE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS AND NOT LETTING YOUR MIND BE IN CONTROL.YOU COULD START BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU REACT.ALLOWING YOURSELF TO DO A BIT MORE EXERCISE,CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT THINGS,JUST DOING SOMETHING ABOUT ONE THING IS BREAKING THE VICIOUS CYCLE. AND STOPING IT FROM SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL.
SIT DOWN AND PLAN OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE TO GIVE YOURSELF A HEADSTART USE THE FIVE POINTS ABOVE OFNTHE VICIOUS CYCLE TO TRY AND PINPOINT WHY YOU FEEL THE WAY YOU DO AND WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IN EACH OF THESE AREAS.
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