Whether you have a specific goal that you’re trying to achieve or whether just getting through the day in one piece is your aim,. We want to go back to bed, not speak to anyone and wallow. The world can be a tough place and now with the advent of the internet we can be out there on show all the time. How awful is it when you are feeling rotten about your abilities and then you manage to come across someone, doesn’t matter if they live in the next town or the next continent, who is looking like they are living and doing what you want, but in a much more successful way? Makes you want to cry, give up and hide! Here are 5 strategies you can use the next time that this happens to you:

Go for a long walk, blow the cobwebs out

Getting away from the source of your pain temporarily is always a good strategy. If you’re working on the computer, or if you just can’t escape being reminded of your goal in your house then get yourself out for a walk. Yes, even if it’s raining! You can’t help but play things through your mind when you’re walking and for me it’s a way of mentally journalling my thoughts. Hopefully by the end of your walk you’ve talked yourself into feeling better about yourself or maybe you’ve managed to come up with some plans to get yourself back on track.

Listen to some happy music

I have a playlist of particularly happy music that I play when I feel like I need a lift and when I need to be reminded of why I am going for my goal. The next time you feel like giving up, get making a playlist. Maybe the songs will be defiant, or have powerful lyrics, maybe they’ll just make you smile and dance. Either way when you listen you’ll remember what a great idea that goal was and it will knock you out of your slump.

Ask for a hug

Have you got anyone in your life that gives unconditional hugs? A partner, a cat, a dog? A soft toy that you smile at when you see it? Go and reach out to your hug provider and see if it will make you feel better. It perhaps won’t truly get you out of your wallowing state, but it should remind you that there are people in your life who really think the world of you and that should make you smile and give you strength.

Chat to a friend

Friends are friends for a reason and if you’re feeling like you’re not good enough and wanting to give up they’ll be just the ones to talk you out of it. They know you, they know your strengths and they can help you see that when you are feeling like you have none! If you just want to forget about yourself and your own troubles, chat to someone else and make them feel happy. There’s nothing like lifting up others to truly feel good about yourself. Give it a try!

Journal

If I’m feeling particularly down, then journaling is a great tool that I can use to get myself back on track. Just like when you go for a walk and think about it all in your head, journaling gets all your feelings on paper. Sometimes it’s like talking to a friend and there has been no end of times when I have written down how awful and rubbish I am, only for me to come back and defend myself! It can really help you pinpoint what the reasons are for your down day, even if it is just that you should have slept some more. It’s difficult when we feel like we’re the only ones who are rubbish, that everyone else is coping better than we are. I’ll let you in on a secret: most, if not all, other people have days when they feel like giving up too. We have no idea what path others have taken to get where they are, but I can assure you they didn’t just arrive there, they had a journey too. That goal that you want to reach is not on a smooth path that’s easy to get, if it was you’d have attained it by now. The path is hard, there are obstacles in the way and sometimes the weather just is not on your side and when it rains hard you realize you’ve forgotten your rain jacket. “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” Dolly Parton Don’t give up on your goal, go easy on yourself, maybe take a break and come back fighting! Kirsty Bartholomew is a serial dreamer. In 2013 she achieved her dream of travelling with her family as she set off on an adventure with them around Europe in a camper.  She hasn’t looked back since.  Now she works at Untrapped Life and kicks other people’s dreams into action, providing tips to reach their dream even if they have no time.

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