We’ve all been there: nothing is working out for us, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, motivation is nonexistent. In our twenties we want to have a plan for our lives, exceed our own expectations, walk through life going through our successes, but it does not always work out that way. We have our low points.
Those low days are inevitable, we can’t avoid them. So what do we do? We take control of how we handle those days. I’ve had some high highs and lots of low lows and I found myself miserable because I did not handle my lows in the best way.
I recently spoke with a close friend who was in the middle of one of those lows and they came to me for some guidance. At the time I was having a horrible day so I had no idea what advice or encouragement I could muster up when I too needed some encouragement. Somehow I came up with a few words that managed to uplift the both of us with academic and professional discouragement.
- Think about your dream job (seriously, what would you do if you knew you cannot fail?), then work backward to your current situation (what steps were taken to get to that dream job?), and finally take smaller steps to work toward that dream job you’ve just imagined (you’ve already outlined what is needed to be done, now work forward to get there).
- Use this time to think about what you really want. Things aren’t going good? Perfect! You’ve figured out what doesn’t work, now you’re closer to figuring out what does work. Spend this time understanding what put you in this low place and why you are frustrated, this will be valuable to know when you’ve gotten out of your low place.
These two tips do not help you avoid low places, it helps you to make good use of those days and puts you in a better position once you’ve doing better. We can’t avoid bad days but we can make the best of them.
Are you currently in a low place? Struggling to find the motivation to keep on track academically or professionally? Try my tips above! I want to know what you think, how these worked for you, and any advice that you have. Be sure to comment below!
Stay motivated and when you can’t, make the most of those bad days.
xoxo,
Fashenika
I have many low days and times where I feel like there is no hope for me. On those days and even living my everyday life I have to pause and breathe. The fact that I am still alive shows me that my situation can turn around for the better. God is a very big part of my life and I try my best to count on Him because His plan is greater than ANYTHING I could imagine. Even on those bad days, trusting in God will give me the peace and strength to get through my situation. I know for a fact I can count on family and friends. I have a great support system. The best part about that is knowing that I am not alone in my situation. Also, even if I feel like there is no hope, time and time again God has shown me in the past that he has worked things out for me. So definitely looking back helps me stay motivated. Another thing I remind myself is to take it day by day. Even though it is good to have a plan for yourself, We don’t know what can happen tomorrow. So worry about today before you think about tomorrow. I am definitely a big music lover. I have specific Playlist that are motivational to also get me through. I hope this can help someone else out as it has been helping me.
One of the biggest things that helps me when I am experiencing a low is thinking about how much I have accomplished in my life, and then I remind myself of all the people who are amazing now and how long it took them to get to where they are today.
It is also important to keep people who are working very hard around as well. Having passionate friends has helped me so much in college. They have all done so much to inspire me and show me the way to go.
Great post! Sometimes just watching a youtube video or surrounding myself with likeminded people is enough to get me motivated!
Another thing I like to do is the opposite of that, lol. Get away from everyone I know, go to Barnes & Nobles, take a pen and notebook and just jot down my feelings of lack of motivation. As you kind’ve mentioned above, once I get it out of my head and have what the problem is on paper, I can better excuse how to get to a resolution.
Loving the blog, keep up the good work!!
My ways for handling the lows are to go in front of the mirror and speak positive things into myself. Then, I slowly start to go over the things I want to change and do little things throughout the day that will make an impact. I also take time to come to terms with my feeling of discontent by reflecting for a bit, listen to a positive talk and get over the feeling with some action. That works for me. Try it at your leisure.
By the way, great blog Shenika. I really like this positive post. Really great for times when motivation is running low.