Why it is so important to take care of yourself in difficult times

Life is ups and downs. We have all had times that we struggled with. After all, not everything can always be peace and joy. None of us are always in a good mood, full of energy or super balanced. Bad phases are just part of life. But even in these difficult times you can do something for yourself. Actually, it is particularly important to take care of yourself in challenging phases. You can find out why this is the case here.

Perception of changes

New and unfamiliar situations require a lot of energy. Changes – whether positive or negative, undesirable or desired, sudden or announced – always require us to adapt to the new circumstances of the environment. This adjustment is easier when the changes are positive for us. We are full of anticipation and see the changes that are happening around us or within us as something good. Sometimes we are so focused on what is coming that we don't even notice the changes.

But if we get into situations that have a negative impact on us or on what is important to us, we feel the change process much more clearly. We try desperately to hold on to what was and often get caught up in negative thoughts that we find difficult to get out of. There's suddenly so much to do, so much to do, and we don't know what to tackle first.

In difficult times with challenging situations, we feel overwhelmed more quickly. Our brain is constantly on alert. We therefore focus more on negative things and potential dangers and have the more feeling that everything is somehow going down the drain. These “potential dangers” that our brain registers in difficult times were of course just there before; But we usually just don't notice them that way because we focus our attention on other things. The focus on negative things and thought processes initially happens automatically. However, we can consciously interrupt this automatic process. I would like to expand a little on this...

Do you know that?

» Everything was fine just now; So how can it be that everything is suddenly so different? How could that happen? Why do bad things happen to people who don't deserve it? How will it ever get better? What can I do? Why is this happening? How can I avoid this situation in the future? Why didn't I see it coming? What did i do wrong? … «

The voice in our head

We all know circular thoughts like this. The inner voice just doesn't want to stop asking the same questions over and over again and analyzing the same scenarios over and over again.

Our inner dialogue (or should I say “monologue”?) is ongoing. We think and think and think. But you've probably noticed that your inner voice is sometimes quieter and other times louder. The voice is usually quiet when we are “in the flow”. When we occupy ourselves with things that bring us joy or that come easily to us. However, the voice becomes louder when we are dissatisfied with something. The brain registers that something is going wrong and immediately jumps into “ survival mode ”. Your ego awakens and uses the opportunity to really show you what you've actually done wrong, what's wrong with you (or with the others), and that everything is totally stupid. It literally throws you into scarcity thinking.

But the ego basically means well. Because actually it just wants to ensure your survival. It's afraid that something could happen to you. Unfortunately, the ego's statements are usually anything but gentle, sensitive or forgiving. And so we find ourselves in negative thought spirals.

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

How to deal with ego

Of course, the “ego” isn’t really a little poison dwarf stomping around in your head and angrily shouting things to get your attention. But it helps to imagine the ego personified in order to distance yourself from it. Because that's exactly what can help you in such situations.

Of course, distancing ourselves from our own inner voice is only possible if we actually perceive this voice. Sometimes we get so lost in our thoughts that we think we ARE the thoughts. But with a little practice, you can quickly stop yourself between two trains of thought and switch to observer mode. You can practice this particularly well with meditation .

If you have now noticed that you are thinking “ego thoughts”, then you can consciously say “Okay, stop – I am thinking right now, but I am not my thoughts. I can consciously distance myself from what I think. I see my thoughts as clouds passing by. They come and go." So you can recognize yourself as the consciousness that stands behind the thoughts and merely observes them.

Tension in the body

Our body also notices our tension. The stress leads to increased adrenaline production. This initially brings energy, but in the long run it is draining and unhealthy . During stressful phases we are more likely to get sick (the immune system is weakened due to the stress) and have psychosomatic complaints more often. These can manifest themselves, for example, in headaches or stomach pains. Stress is an important cause of physical problems much more often than you think! That's why it's particularly important in times like these to take breaks and consciously combat this stress, for example with the help of relaxation techniques.

In this blog article you will find various exercises to reduce stress in general.

As we have shown, stressful, unfamiliar and unpleasant phases of life are not only physically stressful for us, but above all mentally. At times like this, our brain looks for potentially dangerous stimuli and is therefore constantly on alert. In addition, there are circling thoughts that don't give us any breaks. And changes in the environment that we have to adapt to can also pose a challenge.

For all of these reasons, it is important that we take special care of ourselves in difficult times and treat ourselves with care. Us one Treat them a bit like we would treat a small child – patiently, forgivingly and with a huge portion of love.

In this article from the “Mindfulness & Spirituality” section, I will introduce you to specific exercises and coping strategies for difficult times. As soon as the post is online, I will link it here.

Until then: Have a good time and take care of yourself! ❤️(So that your inner dwarf stays as relaxed as possible... 😋)

Photo by dorota dylka on Unsplash

If you would like to find out more about the topics of mindfulness, healthy eating or sustainability, take a look here .