What do you do when your thoughts start to spiral toward a place of unhealthy anxiety, depression, stress, anger, or comparison? I do quite a bit of working with my clients on putting a plan in place for these times.
For me personally, here are a few of the steps that I take:
- I cancel every optional activity that feels even remotely stressful. And I'm not sorry about it either. I just do it.
- I text a specific set of friends and ask them to pray for me. And they do.
- I drink a lot of water, make sure I eat all of my meals and snacks, and go to bed as early as I can.
- I set up a counseling appointment, if I don't have one already.
These steps will look different for everyone, but here's the important part--DON'T WAIT. Don't try to be tough. Don't see if you feel better in a couple of days. Unapologetically do what you need to do to take care of yourself. And if you don't know how, find a therapist who can help you learn. You are worth these things.
Because we've got one good life to live. And not a single one of us wants to spend it feeling bad all the time. And the longer I work as a therapist, the more certain I am that there is always hope for healing.