Haven’t you noticed that things seem to go very wrong during very vulnerable times? Like the saying goes “When it rains, it pours”. These are the times when we tend to let ourselves go, perhaps even abandon the things that we truly enjoy doing or not even eat right. I believe that during these hard times is when one has to be extra careful with oneself, go perhaps a little slower with things and try to be more mindful of one’s emotions and thinking.
I can only say for experience and observing what happens with other people that when we are not really well, be it because we are physically ill or a family member isn’t feeling well, we tend to not be the same person we usually are. I know for me the signs are that I don’t eat the way I like to eat (i.e. I tend to crave sugar when I’m not feeling good, etc.) and I don’t exercise when things are not right. For you it may be something different but whatever it is, it’s important to be aware of it and understand where all this is coming from. For example, if I crave more sweets than usual, I know that something is wrong and so I try figure out what is it that is triggering this craving. When things are really bad for me, I tend to fall and trip a lot. In a matter of weeks, I fell twice, hurting my knees and lower back after my dad got hospitalized. This made me realize how much more mindful we have to be when things are not quite right in our life.
“But how can I be more mindful when I’m feeling vulnerable at the moment?”, you might ask. I think the best way is by taking it day by day, moment to moment. Rather than looking into the future and wondering what is going to happen, just live this moment. I’m one who likes to focus on the blessings that I have so I would suggest to also focus on your blessings. Another thing, too, that I would like to add is that you are entitled to feeling sad because of the hard time you are going through. Trying to hold back the strong emotion of sadness can make things worse because you are trying to suppress something that you should just accept and allow yourself to experience. That is part of what makes us human, the fact that we can experience all these different emotions. Allowing yourself and giving yourself permission to feel all these different emotions will free you from the burden of hiding them. It’s too much to try to suppress our emotions! If you are lucky to have wonderful people who love you and are truly there for you in good times and bad times, share what you are feeling with others. There is something so therapeutic about sharing what it is that we feel, especially during hard times.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to take care of yourself at all times, but take extra care of yourself during the hard times. Go a little slower during these difficult times. Take time for yourself as well. Make sure you still eat healthy foods. Drink plenty of water. Make sure you sleep. Every little bit that you do to take care of yourself will help, I guarantee it. I think that taking extra care of yourself during the hard times will make the journey that you are going through a little less bumpy.