How are you doing? How is life treating you at the moment?
Life doesn’t need to crash completely for you to feel “down on your luck.” A failed promotion, a work project that didn’t go as planned, or a missed opportunity can set you back months.
Maybe the boss is riding you each day for quicker results? Sometimes you just feel undervalued, and you want to throw in the towel.
When things at work feel tense, it’s hard to keep going, and you feel stuck. Sometimes your personal life blows up at the same time. Your husband might have a fall at work and earn himself an expensive trip to the ER.
Your kid breaks an arm at the wrong time of the month, and the insurance deductibles ramp up your spending. Anything can happen to turn a rainy day into a tropical storm.
The saying, “When life gives you lemons — make lemonade,” can leave a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. It’s easier said than done.
Many people live paycheck to paycheck, and it’s not easy to change jobs or routines when money is the driver behind our actions. There is no financial flexibility.
If something doesn’t feel right–then it probably isn’t. That nagging feeling inside tells us we need a change.
Are you paying attention to what your mind is telling you?
Think about your life, and what’s going on.
Are you happy at work? If the answer is no, consider your skills.
What are your strengths? Are you good with numbers, computers, people, or animals? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Think about your ideal job.
What would you like to do for a living?
If your mind is telling you something different from where you work, then maybe you need to start looking for new opportunities.
Pause–Take a mental health day and relax. Where does your mind go when you allow yourself to daydream?
Breathe — deep breathing and yoga are fantastic for regulating your nervous system and unwinding.
Ponder–Think about what you want from your career. Where is your mind taking you?
Choose–Look for job openings and new opportunities. Research a business loan if you are considering starting up your own company.
Do–If you believe it, then you will achieve it. Go for it.
I’m an MFA student, and I will graduate this spring. I should have graduated last summer, but I was forced to delay due to life/work commitments. It turns out that I’m not superwoman, and working full-time while supporting my family is not conducive to studying as much as I want. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day if I want to sleep at some point. Other people in my MFA program can devote more time to their thesis research because they don’t work as much as I do. Some weeks, I’ve struggled to read everything on the reading lists and turn in weekly assignments. I’ve gotten good grades, but I wanted to do more.
Do you ever feel like you want more?
The turning point for me came a few months ago when someone on the program realized that I was under pressure, and asked me the questions that I posed at the beginning of this article.
How are you doing? How is life treating you at the moment? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Imagining yourself in your dream job can do miracles for your mental health. If you can believe that you can achieve your dreams, then you are halfway there. The first step is to believe that you can.
Just one small step.
Once you see a clear step towards your goal, the day-to-day doesn’t seem as demanding.
You can handle everything better because you know that “right now” is not forever.
Your mind is your greatest friend when you think positively about your life. If you start thinking negatively, your mind turns against you, and everything starts to feel very hard and challenging.
Keep your chin up. and think of your goals and dreams.
Where do you want to be in five years? What’s holding you back?
My name is Lizzy. I’m a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.
If you like reading my posts, then please follow me.
For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com
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Here are a few links to my articles:
Looking for a Change?
https://medium.com/activated-thinker/looking-for-a-change-f391e85abbd7
A Search for Identity
https://medium.com/beyond-lines/a-search-for-identity-893df7c970c2
Are You Searching for Peace?
https://medium.com/illumination/are-you-searching-for-peace-cd54d76231c8
Are You Dealing With Burnout?
https://medium.com/illumination/are-you-dealing-with-burnout-374f774141b4
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For more about me: https://www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com
Elizabeth Woods grew up in a world of brutal sex offenders, murderers, and inconceivably neglectful adults. Elizabeth is passionate about spreading awareness of what it is like to survive after trauma. She is the author of several books and has written her memoir, telling her childhood story: The Sex-Offender’s Daughter: A True Story of Survival Against All Odds, available on Amazon Kindle and paperback.
Elizabeth is also the author of “Living with Complex PTSD” and the Cedar’s Port Fiction series: “Saving Joshua”, “Protecting Sarah”, “Guarding Noah” and “Bringing Back Faith,” and “Restoring Hope,” available here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCBZQN7L/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=7e223b5b-1a29-45f0-ad9d-e9c8fdb59e9c&ref_=ap_rdr&ccs_id=931f96e2-c220-4765-acc8-cc99bb95e8bd
