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If you use these strategies to cope, your life will feel far happier.
By Unwritten — Written on Dec 28, 2022
Do you feel overwhelmed when you have to meet a close deadline, your friends are complaining about their relationships, or you feel like you’re struggling with finances?
Feeling like life is too much is no reason for shame, but it’s good to know how to handle your feelings so that you won’t struggle as much in the future.
Here are five things you can remind yourself for a little bit of motivation and inspiration when life feels overwhelming:
1. Only you are in control of your own life, so live it however you want.
When people try to tell you that you need a different focus than the things that you currently strive to do, just remind yourself that you’re in control. After all, if life’s an airplane, you’re the pilot, and you can go in any direction you choose.
You are the only one who can control your actions and decisions. Just remember that just like everyone else, you have 24 hours to live to the fullest each day. Deciding how you spend your time is up to you.
2. Don’t worry about what other people might think of you.
You might believe that people are judging how you handle your life, but the truth is they probably don’t have strong opinions about your life choices.
In fact, others likely spend plenty of time wondering what you think about them, too. Clearly, the way that you live your life isn’t a big issue for other people, so you need to stop worrying about what they think of you.
If you want to reach success, peace, and happiness, stop looking for your coworkers,’ parents,’ or friends’ approval. The only person who needs to approve of your decisions is you.
3. Invest in yourself.
You probably see this advice everywhere, but as cliché as it is, it really helps.
You are your own best investment. Whether you want to buy a book that will help you understand yourself better or get in shape at the gym, investing in yourself can reap personal growth.
If you refuse to invest in yourself, your friends might outgrow you. Only when you invest in yourself can you move forward in life.
4. You are the only one who can define your happiness.
Some of us defined what happiness meant to us when we were young. Others haven’t yet stood true to what makes them the happiest, but now is the time to choose.
If you don’t yet know what makes you happy, notice when you feel best, and appreciate every moment. Happiness could be working on a new project, spending time with your friends, or going on adventures.
Once you know what makes you happy, chase it, especially when life feels overwhelming.
5. Tackle the hard work first.
It’s easy to wake up and then spend three hours of your morning reading through emails or scrolling through social media. Finishing your big work projects or applying for new jobs may seem far less easy than procrastinating.
However, finishing your most difficult tasks early on will help you to smooth out the rest of your day. That way, you don’t have to stress about upcoming deadlines, and life will feel a lot less overwhelming.
At some point in our lives, all of us will feel like life is too hard to handle. But the most important thing to remember in these moments is that only you can make the best decisions for yourself, whether that means finishing your work projects early on or choosing not to care how others see you.
If you use these strategies to cope, your life will feel far happier.
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Unwritten is a website for millennials written and run by millennials. Unwritten is committed to giving Generation-Y the discussion they need, whether it be a source of news, a much needed laugh, a comforting shoulder to cry on, or a place to have their own stories heard.
This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.