When you feel down

[freshlight]

What are your technics of pulling yourself out of a hole? I'd love to learn from you and share some of my tips. What worked for me was to exchange negative thought with at least two positive ones. It seems impossible when you feel really bad but it WORKS! It does also seem very difficult, but if you hang in there it can work wonders in your life.

Raw makes it so much easier to deal with "strange" feelings. Have a great evening, everyone :)

[Care4raw]

Someone quoted an elder lady she knew of advice,she said; "Just go for a walk". I too have found that simple bit of wisdom to be true.

[Revvell]

I do appreciations, go out for a walk, swing kettlebells, mace or iron clubs.

[Veganforlife]

What do I do to pull myself out of a hole - have a ladder with me when entering said hole!

::runs out of the room laughing::

::runs back in to seriously comment::

So true. Since going 100% Raw (time and time again - I'm back into it again), the stress just goes down the toilet! I become peaceful at one with life. I get "busy" doing stuff.

It's so much about mental detoxing too...

[TaupeRawMan]

Having been through a lot in life, I think about the good things I have today and what I am grateful for.

[contessa20]

I like to get out an walk. I usually end up walking really, really fast at first in order to burn off the funk I'm in and then I'll slow down to calm myself.

Writing is very therapeutic and pulls all of the feelings out and into the open. Usually by the end of my entry I've calmed down and am able to see a silver lining or something positive.

Hitting my big, heavy punching bag is always good for burning off some steam. It's the same as walking, it burns off the anger and eventually flows into exhaustion and then something positive.

I do find that, like others here, it is easier to deal with anger, frustration and negative emotions when I'm raw. I also find that I am less focused on myself when I'm doing things for others. I'm far more prone to getting into a funk in the summer or during school breaks when I'm not in school and doing things purposefully for others.

[rawrawks]

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What do I do to pull myself out of a hole - have a ladder with me when entering said hole!

oooooo I knew I forgot sumpthin when I fell in that doggone hole thar....who knew I would need a ladder

I tink I shall walk around that thar hole til I come more prepared.at least with some red shiny shoes that go "click click"..hahahahha tooooooooo funny.

[freshlight]

Thanks for all the good thoughts, dear folks.
As for anger:I think it helps when you try to find out where your anger comes from and then try to transform it into something beautiful.

[pinkrosebud]

Well I have been in the hole for the last two days. I am a teacher and just bombed a REALLY important interview, perhaps the only one I will get this year. I was so frustrated with myself. I knew the answers to all the questions; I simply couldn't put them into words. I have never had an interview that went so badly. So for the last two days I have sat with myself and tried to reflect on the situation and what went wrong. I realized that I felt inadequate and ill prepared. I have been through tons of interviews for teaching in the past and always did very well, so what was different with this one? This was the one I had been wanting for a long time.

One reason was that my head was not in the game. I have been on a mental break for about 2 months and I assumed that my brain would simply have all the right answers, at the right time. Wrong! Also, this interview was for an entirely different age group and subject than I have ever interviewed for. So after lots of walking and reflecting, I decided to sit down and write out every interview question that was asked of me during this interview and others. I came up with a list of 18 (I am still working on it). Then, I thoroughly answered each question in writing. The experience was very therapeutic because I showed myself that I do know what I am doing and that I do know the answers, I simply needed to think and reflect on them. Now I can go read my answers and know that I am not inadequate or ill prepared.

While, I am 99.9% sure I didn’t get the job, I am feeling better about the experience because I know that if I get another interview, I will be back to my old self. I am framing the “bad” interview as a practice and a gift to hone my interview skills. As for working on my emotions, I had to understand the source of my feelings and then be proactive about healing that wound.

[margoss]

Pinkrosebud..can you contact them and ask to redo the interview? Let them know what was going on. They just may do it bc you had the courage to be upfront about it.
Me...I pray-color with my dd-read the Bible. It really takes a lot to get me upset now. I walk from a lot bc it's just not worth it to me anymore. so many things are petty when looked back at.....not everything but many.

[rawrawks]

pinkrosebud, yes you learned alot and maybe this was all that it was, an exercise along your path to bring you eventually where you want to be.

If you didnt get the job, its not the time? The right thing will show up when it is time.

I just got laid off and the timing was perfect. I was sooo done with the job and now I am free to pursue something I love to do.

Good for you..congrats.

[freshlight]

pinkrosebud, that's the best way of dealing with stress-lloking at it and working through (the jungle :D) You're a strong person.
Thank you so much for sharing!

[Myownworstenemy]

This time last year I had to turn down the job opportunity of lifetime in the place I've always wanted to live (Seattle, WA) because my dear father was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and andvanced stage Parkinsons. My dear mother was distraught that he had to be put into a nursing home and I knew if I left then and moved 5000 miles away to take this wonderful job, I just couldn't live with myself. Turning down that job was the single hardest thing I have ever done. I can't tell you how much I have cried...over giving up that opportunity, over my dad's terrible health, over my mom's stress. But I knew I couldn't leave them in their time of need. They have no one here but me to help out emotionally and physically.

I have gone through all kinds of aweful emotions, from depression to resentment, to anger and now I am fighting alcohol addiction on top of it all. But I know that I am here for a reason. That I need to be here, that leaving would have been the wrong thing to do at the time. I would have felt aweful knowing I left my parents in need when I had a chance to help. But because of my decision, I am left feeling depressed, trapped and confused about what to do with myself.

When I feel very down and at my worst, my dear little kitty (the picture on my avatar) is always at the ready to cheer me up. There's just something about petting a cat that always makes you feel a little bit better all the way around. I also like to put on my Finis SwimP3 player (an underwater iPod) and go swim 2-3 thousand yrds in the pool, or go out to the Gulf of Mexico and swim for 30+ min. I also love going to the gym and doing a super heavy weight lifting session followed by a good run on the treadmill. The sheer exhaustion from that workout just brings about a calm that I can find no where else. And finally when I know I can get away for a few days, I have this little camping spot on Cayo Costa, an uninhabited barrier island that I kayak out to and spend one or two nights in a tent, on the beach, under the stars. That always grounds me.

but that's just me

[rawrawks]

woweeee whatta way to destress.....the gulf...oooo la la

sorry for your family circumstances

[RawHealthyBeauty]

I'll find anything to be grateful for, even if it's the smallest thing and just focus on that, it really brightens up my day! :)

[freshlight]

oh yes, the daily appreciations. That's the best thing ever!

[LotsaRaw]

As many have said, just look to the good stuff in your life that you are greatful for. Always remember that the funk you are in truly is temporary - and that this too shall pass. The craziness in my life now (lots of travel - tired of living out of a suitcase - graduate school - two jobs and a wonderful BF pulling me in multiple directions - in addition to dealing with people associated with all the hectic stuff) will settle down in a few months. Live now in the moment, because it is all you know for sure. Set goals and plan for the future, but live today to its fullest :D

[hilarya_m]

Myownworstenemy, you are a hero.