WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR WHOLE WORLD IS CRASHING DOWN AROUND YOU #5TTT

Hi all,

Phew these past few weeks have been tough.

It started when I pulled an intercostal muscle in my left rib. I could still move around and could still train, but everything had to be modified and it wasn’t much fun. Then I pulled another muscle in my lower abdomen. Two areas were now giving me pain. I rested, took anti inflammatories, iced and rested some more.

The week before the first Open announcement I was feeling back on track. I started lifting overhead again, easing back into other movements and felt good. Then last week I was struck down with a virus.

A full blown nasty piece of work. My torso, arms and upper legs are covered in a rash (my bodies way of dealing with the virus), I was stuck indoors for days and had to keep the air con on full blast due to the heat outside.

David had to work, my family live on the other side of the world and I felt alone. For the first time in a long while I felt like everything was crashing down on top of me.

But here I am, a new week and feeling so much better. Over the past few days I realised that these instances occur all the time with everyone, regardless of circumstance. Illness, stress, relationship issues, financial troubles, I could go on and on. We can’t stop these things from happening, but what we can do is control the way we react to them.

So for this weeks ‘5 Top Tips on a Tuesday’ we will take a look at what to do when you feel like your world is crashing down around you.

Stop a moment. Take a big deep breath in and a long one out. Take a few more moments to stay still. Find a sense of calm. Once you are in this calm, then reflect on what is going on around you. How does it truly make you feel? Check in with your emotions, thoughts and feelings, not your actions.

Have a pity party

Now you have established how you feel, give yourself permission to truly feel those feelings. It’s going to be a tough time and I guarantee there will probably be tears but in allowing yourself to truly feel you will therefore be able to grow. You are not denying yourself anymore the ability to feel. Embrace the suck, just for a little while. Talk to someone and let it all out if need be. Just use it as a release to then move on.

Figure out what you need

What do you need to do to get yourself out of this situation? Will it just take time? Do you need to take better care of yourself? Do you need to change a situation? Do you need to talk to someone?

Make you a priority

You all know I am a proponent of this one and in this particular situation no more so. In order to fly high again you need to put yourself as a priority. Make what you need in order to get out of this situation a priority. I already sleep and eat well but for me, time was my priority and I needed to give myself permission to take as much time as I needed to heal.

Move onwards and upwards

Move on. Leave the past in the past and take control of your future. You cannot change what has happened and dwelling on mistakes or scenarios won’t do you much good. Focusing on what you can do to change and improve the situation is where your time and energy should be spent. Your body, the environment or people around you may not change today or tomorrow, but the one thing you can do right now is change your attitude to the whole thing. Choose progress.

*And due to said illness there will be no podcast this week I’m afraid – I’m only just getting my voice back today! But it will be back with a bang next week for sure!*

Do you ever feel like the world is crashing down around you?

Are you a ‘pity party’ person?

What do you need to do to get your head in check when you are ill?