Tough days and how i deal with them

Today has been a bit of a rubbish day. I woke up and instantly felt very tired and sleepy, and I knew that today was going to have to be a down day. At the moment I am tucked up in bed, listening to the rain fall outside which is really comforting.

On days such as these, my positivity is tested to the limit. My real pit, that I sometimes fall into is having anxious thoughts such as “How will I cope with this or that next week…” or “I thought I was doing well and now I feel really tired..”

I am learning, slowly, to just accept everything that is happening as life naturally unfurling itself. I read a really great book recently actually, called “The Invitation” by Oriah. The book is based on a poem, which is really beautiful and grounding, and spoke to me on so many levels. Mabye it will speak to you too:

The author herself had severe chronic fatigue syndrome, but has now recovered! You can read more about her here. This poem really reminds me of the inner strength that we all need to get through whatever we need to get through in our worst moments, and how being true to myself and evaluating my needs, my feelings, my thoughts and fears are so important to move forward when dips occur!  The stop process for me is also crucial I have found, I’m learning that having a down day is not the end of the world, and if I quieten my mind and notice the world unfolding silently and calmly around me, I feel much more present and powerful.

Most importantly I have found that self compassion is hugely important on down days. I had a habit before I got ill of wanting to be completely independent and conquering the world! However I now realise I definitely have my limits, and that is completely ok. It is ok to be vulnerable sometimes, it makes us more human and we are able to discover aspects of ourselves we would never discover otherwise. Sometimes, I like to write down a list of all the things that I am grateful for when I am struggling to be positive.

Here are just a few:

• My home
• My family
• My cat maple (who is meowing at me right now..he knows when it's dinner time!)
• My CD player
• The beautiful planet earth upon which i live.
• My bathtub!
• My friends

I realise all the love I have in my life, and somehow things don’t seem nearly as bad!