Life sucks when there are external demands, challenges, and more difficulties than you can cope with. We have no say over some events, but stress is also created by our expectations of events. Stress can overwhelm us, but we all react to stress in individual ways.
Why Life Sucks
A major part of our healing begins by recognizing the symptoms that point to why life sucks. There are things which cause us to reach the point where life sucks beyond what we can cope.
Dealing with the death of a loved one, including pets
Moving house is high on the stress list
Relational difficulties or family breakdown is a totally different form of stress
Faced with major illness or injury throws us a curved ball
Financial difficulties is a major cause of stress
Peer pressure is often an insidious kind of stress that creeps up unnoticed
Bullying and harassment creates stress
Emotional or physical abuse often goes undetected
Losing a job is a major stress, or other pressures at work
Feeling isolated and a lack of support is difficult to deal with
Marriage can create its own stress as you try to please a partner
Trying to fulfill other people’s expectations is not satisfying
Society makes demands and limitations that creates stress.
Signs That Say Life Sucks
People can reach a breaking point when life sucks and makes so many demands on us. A place that says, “I can’t do this anymore”. Here are some of the signs which show our stress levels are unhealthy:
Feeling depressed with life in general
Having difficulty sleeping
Being unreasonably irritable
Wild mood changes not associated with certain types of medication
Being constantly fatigued and exhausted
Hyperalert and being anxious all the time
Changes in eating habits with a loss of appetite
Some people find the stomach is the first place to get upset
Headaches and muscle tension are frequently stress related
Difficulty concentrating as the mind constantly wanders or returns to matters of concern
Withdrawing from friends and family is a sure sign of stress
Thoughts of suicide. World Health Organization estimates a person dies every 40 seconds worldwide, from suicide.
Reliance on alcohol or other substances to cover the pain of stress.
How To Cope When Life Sucks
When life sucks beyond what you can bear, the only way out seems to be suicide or reliance on drugs or alcohol. The older you get, the more valleys you have been through, the more you need to camouflage the scars life stamps on you.
COVID became a global pandemic, and we were encouraged to take some simple steps to ensure our health.Like, social distancing, cleansing the hands and being vaccinated. Recognize the symptoms of stress allows us to put coping mechanisms into place. There’s no so simple remedy to life’s pressures, just as there is no ‘cure-all’ for COVID, but there are some self-help things we can do.
Exercise regularly, drink alcohol moderately, maintain a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep. Ho hum to that when you are at your wit’s end! Here are some practical strategies for managing stress when feeling overwhelmed and life sucks:
Identify the cause of your stress. Write down what is contributing to you feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Facing a problem is half the cure. Prioritize what needs to be dealt with. Leave the lesser problems to later.
More Coping Mechanisms
Review your current coping mechanisms. What things are you doing that are unhelpful? Take small steps, but change what you can. Stay away from or ignore anyone who is constantly criticising you. Tell yourself how great you are, no matter what others think.
Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or a professional. Talking through your issues with someone you trust helps you work through and identify possible solutions.
Thoughts directly affect our emotional state and influences our behaviour. Negativity adds to our feeling of bing overwhelmed. You can only hold one thought at a time, so change your thought pattern. Is is too easy to worry about things that might not even happen and slump into self-introspection and helplessness. Make a list of things to be grateful for and spend time each day thinking on those. It’s vital you change your mindset.
Consider what you are doing to relax. What TV programmes are you watching, or what books are you reading? Who do you associate with? Listen to some music that calms your soul. Have a change of scene, even if it’s only a 15-minute walk on the beach or go for a coffee at your local shopping mall.
Loneliness
Aloneness can make you feel life sucks and can lead to depression. The areas of the brain that deal with social exclusion are the same areas that process physical pain. You can take a painkiller for an aggressive ache, but loneliness is a different issue.
Loneliness can be an enriching of the self where you don’t have to pretend. There is a certain strength in being alone. However, if you feel you need company, find a local club that interests you. Join a library and go to some of their workshops. Join a church. Find a chat on social media in a subject that you could take part in. Adopt a pet. There should be no fear of being alone.
Develop your creative side—Take up gardening. Hands in the soil is a great curative for depression. Paint a picture. Build a model from a toy shop. Join a craft club. Start writing. Your creativity is not about the end product being perfect, but that you keep the neural pathways and synapses of your brain operating.Keep your mind active by doing a crossword or jigsaw puzzle.
You Are Not Alone
You can reach out to local organizations or talk to your local doctor if you feel you cannot cope with the pressures of life. It is important to realize you are not on your own and a helping hand is always there. Everyone has down times in their life when life sucks. ‘I thought I had a problem because I had no shoes until I saw the person who had no feet.”
Life is like a rabbit hole. You can choose to slink down dark alleyways or climb up into the sun. Remember, you are valuable and unique. No matter your circumstances, you can use your voice to good. Everyone has something to contribute. Tomorrow has promise of a new day and you have an inner strength that needs to be tapped. Reach out and talk to us.
Check out more posts at Whispering Encouragement particularly the article on how to deal with difficult relationships.
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