Lots of advice is easier said than done, and “just roll with the punches” is definitely on that list.
That said, it’s a skill worth cultivating, because life will throw punches your way, usually at surprising times. And especially at work.
How can you learn to dust yourself off and keep going, then?
While I don’t have any scientifically-proven techniques, I can tell you what works for me.
The first thing I do is acknowledge what’s just happened and how I feel. It’s key to feel the feelz because they don’t go away if you try to squash them down. So be angry or frustrated or sad or all of the above. I don’t believe there are good or bad emotions, although certainly some are less pleasant to feel. But that doesn’t make the others unimportant!
Once you’re feeling a little better, you can start taking action. Assess what you can impact and what you can’t. This is a helpful step because there will always be things that are outside our control, so focusing on the things we can control, we get to reset things a bit and feel that extra autonomy we so need in difficult times.
Next, give yourself credit for what you’ve done. We so often undervalue our actions, but just reminding yourself of small successes can really build that motivation muscle.
Finally, be sure to focus on self-care. It’s easy to let go of the things we do as part of our routine when things feel so chaotic and terrible, but maintaining things like your sleep schedule, exercise, eating well, and spending time with loved ones will help keep things feeling normal as you deal with this thing life has dealt you.
Repeat these steps as needed. This is definitely more of a journey than a destination, so try not to judge yourself if you need to revisit these steps several times.
