Tips to Get Out of a Slump & Regain Control

When we feel out of control of multiple areas of our life, we can feel hopeless, overwhelmed, and less able to regulate our emotions. The trick in breaking the chain of chaos is starting small and then expanding. When everything feels out of control we can sometimes reacting by feeling too overwhelmed to do anything, or by trying to regain control of everything at once. Neither of these approaches usually prove successful in the long run. Here are some tips for breaking the chain of chaos:

• Start small, pick one small task that you will definitely succeed at.

• You can also start with the most important task, or the thing that is bothering you the most.

• An easy place to start is with your own body. If you feel out of control of your body, everything else feels chaotic no matter how much you accomplish. Being in control of your own body means feeling safe, healthy, able to regulate your emotions, clean, fed, hydrated and rested.

  • Take your meds regularly. When you don’t, your system becomes stressed and unstable. Not taking meds as prescribed can also affect how effective those meds are for you over time.

  • Defend your sleep schedule. Get intense about getting exactly ____ amount of hours. You know how many hours help you to run best, and if you don’t, start with 8-9. If you don’t defend your sleep schedule at bedtime, you may experience increased moodiness, increased disorganization, and less overall balance.

  • Make sure you’re getting enough food and water. The phrase hangry resonates with all of us for a reason. Make proper nutrition as complicated or simple as you need it to be. Some of us are enticed by cooking elaborate meals, and some of us need to take as many shortcuts as possible. All that matters is finding the approach that you can stick to consistently. Set a hydration goal for yourself. It matters.

  • Exercise a little bit daily and at least 3x weekly. It’s about being in charge of the way you feel throughout the week and being in charge of the health components that you can control. Exercise can also help us to feel happier and provide a release for negative energy and emotions.

• Give yourself time to grow. Take control of your body first, then your environment (Ex. clean your room), then start to master tasks and responsibilities. One Thing At A Time.

• Be compassionate with yourself when you stumble. If you don’t stick to your plans 100%, whatever, don’t throw all your progress away. When you get behind again, just start over. Success isn’t perfection, it’s learning to get a little better each time. Be okay just succeeding more than you fail.

• Allow for flexibility, modification, and fine tuning as you learn more about yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses.

• Do what works for you, don’t force yourself into routines or practices that are too contradictory to your personality. Find trick, shortcuts, and things that motivate or engage you naturally.

• Talk to yourself! Cheerlead. Remind yourself what you’re doing, why, and that you can!

• Set the vibe. You can make tasks easier by building the right vibe around you. Music, smells, snacks, lighting, special drinks, etc.

• Pick a motivation statement ahead of time when you are motivated. You need a statement or a pro-con list already in your head to fall back on when you temporarily feel unmotivated or forget why you wanted to do something in the first place.

• Use pinterest. Seriously. You can find motivation, inspiration, life hacks, help, routines, ideas….everything. Make it fun.