Prescription for a Difficult Day

Lie in bed if you need to, but not for the entire day.

Get up. (I know you don’t feel like it, but it ain’t gonna get less difficult if you just stay in a vegetative state.)

Comb your hair. Wash your face.

Eat. (A well-balanced meal is the ideal, but a difficult day may not make such a meal easy to prepare or down. If it makes it any easier, splurge on your favorite comfort food. Hello, ice cream. Hello, chocolate. Hello, junk food.)

Breathe three deep, slow breaths.

Drink water.

Put on some music.

Allow tears, if they come. (Don’t force it if they don’t.)

Select an activity that might most entertain/uplift you, and go do it: read, write, rewatch a favorite movie, catch a favorite TV show, cook, draw/paint, exercise, garden, solve puzzles, sit by the beach, babysit/play with kids, talk to a friend, do some craftwork, pray. (I understand none of anything might appeal to you, but at least take a shot at something. Just start. You might end up being pleasantly surprised.)

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If none of the above works, continue breathing deep, slow breaths.

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Remind yourself the day will end. When the night comes, it might get more difficult, but the reverse could also be true—it may get easier. And as the night gives way to a new day, it may again be one difficult day, but sometime or another, it will get better. Don’t listen to the voices in your head that tell you it’s always going to be this difficult.

It will get better, trust me. The difficult, it comes in waves. And like the tide, it ebbs away, too. There are going to be easier days. You just gotta get there.

In the meantime, don’t let the difficult defeat you.

Take care of yourself as prescribed.

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Image courtesy of Fayez [CC BY 2.0]

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This entry is part of my undertaking a 30-day challenge Matt Cutts talked about at TED2011. The premise is to “think about something you’ve always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days.” I am challenging myself to post one blog entry a day for 30 consecutive days.

Today is Day 5.

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