How to regain joy after an emotional downturn

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Facing adversities becomes complicated when they all appear at the same time. However, in any situation, joy is worked from within.

Written and verified by the psychologist Elena Sanz.

There are times in life that seem to corroborate that phrase that says that misfortunes never come alone.. Sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong for us and it is difficult to find the light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we make an effort to regain joy, we will find the peace necessary to go through this difficult situation.

Life is made up of cycles, some more positive than others. The only irrefutable truth is that it is practically impossible not to face frustration, disappointment or sadness at some point. Nevertheless, It is in our hands not to let ourselves be carried away by hopelessness and to work mentally to regain joy.

Why do we lose joy?

Each of us has a different threshold for emotional pain. Some people are more skilled than others at facing complications with optimism and hope.. In any case, when several areas of our lives are not working as expected, it is common for sadness to set in.

There are mainly four areas that, depending on their state, determine the degree of life satisfaction of a person.:

Family: have good emotional ties with our family members. Feeling that we belong, that we are accepted, supported and loved.Friends: Satisfactory social relationships are truly important to enjoy good physical and mental health. We all need to have real friends around with whom we feel understood and valued.Couple: For many people, establishing a relationship is one of the fundamental pillars of their life. Have someone with whom love, respect and commitment are mutual.Job: Finding ourselves in a job that we dislike can significantly undermine our mood, since it is the place where we spend most of our days. On the other hand, being unemployed is a hard emotional blow since it takes away our independence and sometimes affects our feeling of personal worth.

Read Also: Hypomania: symptoms and their relationship with bipolar disorder

An accumulation of misfortunes

When, in general, our personal situation in all areas is favorable, we are capable of assuming that one of them may falter. If we end the relationship with our partner we can lean on our friends and family. On the other hand, if a family problem arises, it is easier to cope with it with the support of our partner.

The difficulty comes when several of these areas falter at the same time. If we lose our financial independence at the same time that our partner leaves us and we do not have friends to trust, we can feel real anguish.

Our mind will begin to wander to everything that has not turned out as we wanted and we will find ourselves so confused and disoriented that we will not know how to continue. It is at this moment when negative emotions take over us and we feel powerless to combat them..

How to regain joy?

Stay calm, you can use some relaxation techniques to achieve this. When we control our breathing, the mind calms down at the same time. Being panicked will not help under any circumstances, so always try to maintain a low level of activation.Accept reality. Fighting against the current will only exhaust you and make you even more desperate.. Assuming things are the way they are will allow you to broaden your perspective. Now you are in a difficult moment, but it is temporary and you will get ahead. Accepting is not resigning. It is recognizing the point you are at and starting to act from there. Make decisions to change your situation, but don’t try to fix all the fronts at the same time.. Take action step by step and feeling closer to your goal every day will encourage you to continue.Get used to valuing and being grateful for what remains in your life. Although some things may not work, others surely will. Learn to appreciate the small details in life and find happiness in them. This way you won’t leave room in your mind for negativity.Take care of your thoughts, because they are what generate your emotions. Change your defeatist internal dialogue for one that reminds you of your strengths and motivates you to continue.Take care of yourself, don’t let yourself get carried away by apathy. Every day do small activities that you find rewarding. In the end, life is like riding a bicycle: to maintain balance you have to keep moving forward.You might be interested…