It can be challenging to be optimistic about the future when nothing goes right in life.
Everyone goes through times when they are completely dependent on the whims of life. One hardship follows another, falling like a row of dominoes.
There are occasions when entire periods pass and nothing happens as you want it to. It begins to feel like the entire universe is trying to make things difficult for you. Despite your efforts to remain focused on the good, such phases of life keep you from living a good life.
It’s frustrating and can even negatively impact your mental health. You probably wonder often if there’s a way out of it.
What To Do When Nothing Goes Right?
While it’s impossible to escape life’s inevitable, some coping mechanisms make life a little easier.
Understand that everyone goes through it.
When nothing goes right, especially for reasons beyond your control, you might begin to feel like you are the only one facing such a problem. While everyone is having an absolutely stellar time, right?
It’s important to remember that everyone experiences bad days, even the most accomplished and successful people you can imagine. The best-selling writer, Stephen King, had his first works rejected a whopping 30 times. He even decided to give up on the idea, but his wife kept him working on it. And today, he has more than 350 million books sold! You can learn from their experiences that failure is a transient state.
Understand that short-term setbacks rekindle your drive to succeed.
Hold back on negative thoughts.
Feeling negative emotions like anger, fear, and emptiness is natural when nothing goes right in life. An emotional response may emerge even when you are not genuinely angry or dissatisfied. It seems logical after becoming frustrated, but it isn’t necessary. Feeling this way for too long can cause you to act out.
This is the time to pause, take a few deep breaths, and decide not to act on your negative emotions. It might be more challenging for you if you are more emotional and impulsive than most people, but you can still benefit from holding back on your emotions. Finding your power and focus in a challenging situation may just require more effort and time.
Take a break.
Taking a break is beneficial when facing challenging circumstances one after the other. You learn new ways of thinking, develop fresh perspectives, and eventually revise your course of action. It essentially helps you alter the course of your life.
Make a commitment to postpone your goals for a few days until you’ve adopted a new approach moving ahead before implementing any of the concepts presented in the remainder of the essay.
Get support from family and friends.
Support from family and friends is one of the most valuable assets a person can have. Your family and friends genuinely care about you. They empathize with you, understand your difficulties, and give you honest advice.
Moreover, they can see when you blame others for your problems and refuse to take responsibility. They also know when you are too hard on yourself and spend most of your time self-loathing. They provide a more rational perspective on your problems, which you can use to your advantage.
So, if nothing is going right in your life and you need to get back on track, reach out to your family and close friends and open up about your problems. Simply let them know how you feel. You may find a new perspective on your problems that you can use for good.
Be flexible.
When nothing goes right, it disrupts your momentum, sets you off track, and prevents you from achieving your goal. This feels extremely discouraging, knowing hard you’ve worked toward your goal. It’s downright painful if you are a perfectionist.
Understand that life is filled with unexpected twists, turns, and bumps. You can work your hardest and still fall short of your goal. Learn how to be flexible. You must learn how to build resilience to withstand life’s curveballs.
You must understand when to lunge forward and attack, take a step back, and change direction entirely, just as you would in a fencing match.
Make a gratitude list.
Getting caught up in a negative thinking pattern is easier when nothing goes right in life. But there were times when things weren’t so bad, right? Or maybe your life still has a lot of good in it, but you just fail to see it?
Probably the most effective coping mechanism is to express gratitude even when life seems to be going down the path of uncertainty. Make a list of everything that has gone well and is going well. What have you accomplished so far in life? And what invaluable friendships have you formed in life? What brought you joy this week? Even if it’s as simple as drinking a delicious cup of coffee, focusing on the positives clears your mind and helps you so much, that is still going fine.
Do something that makes you happy.
You have a hobby or something you enjoy—now is the time to put it to use! Disconnect from the outside world and concentrate on what you enjoy. Is it reading? Skating? Or hanging out with your friends? It could be for an hour, a week, or longer. You must regain your confidence and clear your mind of problems. They will not go away completely, but you can find relief, and when you return, you will see more solutions, or at the very least options, in front of you.
Build small, healthy habits.
If you truly want to bring a change in life, focus on building small and healthy habits. Why small? Your brain won’t have any reasons why you can’t do it. Regardless of your emotional state,
you almost have no choice but to commit to it.
Think about the life changes you want to make and commit to 1-2 small daily habits that align with your goals. If you’re wondering how small you should go, consider setting a daily goal that you can meet daily, regardless of how you feel.
Additionally, If you’re trying to develop a writing habit, you might start with just 50 words daily. If you want to improve your personal relationships, you could start by texting someone you care about daily to check in.
Make these new habits so simple that you won’t be able to refuse them. Things will gradually improve if you learn to be consistent and easily incorporate new habits into your routine.
Avoid setting band-aid goals.
When nothing seems right, it’s time to look inward and ensure you’re pursuing the right goals. Often, people set band-aid goals that didn’t directly address their problems, hoping that achieving these goals would naturally make them feel better in actual situations.
The problem is that pursuing band-aid goals keeps you from working on your original, meaningful goals. They keep from doing something productive about your actual problem.
You might be going through this problem without even realizing it. Challenging, stressful situations can often affect your ability to think clearly. Take out some time and reflect on your goals.
Reconsider your goals.
When nothing seems to go your way, it may be time to reconsider your goals. Are your objectives attainable? Do you think you can achieve them? Are you currently in a state to accomplish them? What you wish for isn’t always in sync with what’s actually possible at the time. That’s why, every now and then, it’s necessary to pause and reflect on what you really need now rather than what you want tomorrow.
Simply take a pen and paper and write down your short and long-term goals, the process for achieving those goals and a deadline. Try to be realistic this time. Break down your goals into small actionable targets and work hard to meet them every time.
The Ending Note
The road to a meaningful life is not straight; there will be highs and lows. It is a sad fact, and no one can escape this reality of life.
The good news is that you always have the option to choose an alternative course of action. Understand that you are not alone, and hold back on your negative emotions. Take a break from your life, and spend time with your family and friends to get a fresh perspective. Work on developing healthy habits. Be adaptable and grateful. Let go of your band-aid goals and set realistic goals instead.
In the end, learn to live with the uncertainties of life because, despite your best efforts, things will never go as you had planned.