Why is nothing going right for me?

 Ever had one of these days when nothing went right? We had one of these last week! Our shirt ripped while at a client. We were stuck in bad traffic, forcing us to cancel an appointment and dinner… well, let’s not talk about that. Nothing seem to go right that day! But how do you handle such setbacks?

Take a break

So often, when we’re overwhelmed (or when nothing is going our way), this seems counter-intuitive. How can you stop when everything is falling apart?

Easy!

If whatever you’re doing is not taking you forward, putting the pause button doesn’t make a big difference. Except it does.

You can take this break to just sit still and do a breathing exercise. It helps to centre yourself and get clarity again. A break can also give you a few minutes to eat and drink. Becoming dehydrated can cloudy your vision and thinking, hence the frequent requests to keep a glass of water near your work place as a reminder.

This break gives you an opportunity to step back and re-assess where you are. It gives you some time to refresh your mind and come up with a game plan. You can (re-)prioritise what needs to be done and then tackle it.

Reframe

“All is lost.” We think this is true. But no, we still have options (unless you are emergency responder, and we exclude these for now).

Looking different at the situation, which reframing effectively is, can help us through the day. Rather than spiralling downwards, seeing ourselves as a victim, shedding a different light to it can make all the difference.

Psychology Today highlighted how resilient individuals use reframing to overcome a frustrating or worse situation. For them, it gives them power while they endure the challenging and harsh times.

Stop comparing

When nothing goes right, it’s so tempting to look at our friends, colleagues or neighbours. Why does my sister get to work from home? How did my friend lose those 6 pounds and I’m still struggling to lose one?

With all these beautiful posts about the perfect relationship, the wonderful children, the lovely couple, do we still remember what real life looks like? Of course, we do!

But why do we want to have the insta-worthy life? Or don’t we?

It’s easy to compare your day, career, body, relationship, travel and so on with your friends. Just who are you helping with these comparisons?

When life isn’t going according to what you expected, let go of these idealised wishes and stop comparing your life.

It’s your life!

Start practicing gratitude

You’ve probably heard it by now: Practice gratitude to change your mind.

Dr. Robert Emmons found that when you acknowledge the goodness in your life, you make your life better.

Keeping a gratitude journal will also improve your sleep quality and reduce your stress. As you get more into journaling, you’ll see how you can identify trigger points. You can find ways to stop it or identify workarounds.

Live more mindfully

Learning to focus on the positive experiences, you’ll adjust your way of living. You’ll pay more attention and become more aware of what’s going on. Within you and within your world.

While you still can’t control your environment, you can control how you react, especially when nothing seems to be right.

Despite the challenges and setbacks, you’re setting yourself up for happier moments.

Reach out for help

We are not a psychologist, just an executive business and life coach. If you’re period of perceived troubles is going for you too long in your view, please reach out. Organisations like Lighthouse Arabia or Darkness into Light can connect you with trained experts who can support you.

When you had a day, week or month when nothing seemed to go right, what did you do? We’d love to read who or what got you through these difficult days?

Until next time,
Agni