Tips to Help You Get Through a Rough Time and Stick to Your Routines

I'm realizing I'm going through a low moment in my life.

I’m still trying to figure out where it stems from.

I think it has to do with my health. However, I've seen my doctor a few times, and she says I'm fine.

(I will address this with another doctor because I feel dismissed, honestly).

Something I'm learning through this is that when you work on your emotional capacity and maturity when you work on healing your trauma and wounds, the highs are awesomely high, but the lows are depressingly low — I will address this further in another blog.

And the low right now is the lowest I've ever experienced.

I'm having a hard time sleeping, focusing, and being interested in the things I usually like doing, like writing and coming up with project ideas.

I feel good when I'm using my creativity muscles. Coming up with blog ideas or future projects, but that drive or desire has disappeared this month.

I'm fighting hard to get it back instead of waiting for something to click magically.

But Lord! It's hard.

If you're going through a low moment right now and want to make sure you stay on the wagon, or you want to make an effort to get back to the things that inspire you, here are a couple of things that have helped me.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time.

This has been a tough one because of my job.

I work as a bartender in two restaurants, so I work late into the evenings. On my busiest nights, I leave work at 11:30 pm.

That's a hurdle when it comes to going to bed at a reasonable time.

I don't come home and go straight to bed. I like to organize and set myself up to have a good day the next day, and that takes time.

But I'm learning. I'm trying different things and will eventually figure out a kick-ass nighttime routine.

Make time for what inspires you, even if you don't feel like it.

I'm very thankful months ago, I got into the habit of doing my morning routine and, right after, sitting down at my laptop to write or create content for my Pinterest.

This has been a huge help in staying somewhat consistent this month.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about how I was struggling:

Taking the time to write this and be vulnerable about my struggle has helped me come up with other ideas, including this blog.

If you feel low energy or can't focus for long periods of time, give yourself a little bit of time to still work on your side projects.

It may feel like you're doing nothing, but what you're doing is showing up over and over.

It doesn't matter that it's for five or ten minutes. When you keep showing up, eventually, you'll start working for longer than five to ten minutes.

One day you'll sit at your desk or workstation, and time will pass by, and suddenly, you'll realize you got a lot of work done.

Like me! I wrote about 80% of this blog in one sitting. I thought it would be less productive, but I proved myself wrong.

Prioritize rest and your overall health.

This ties into my first tip regarding sleeping, but I wanted to add other pointers.

Make sure you're getting enough rest. I stopped guilt-tripping myself for waking up after 10 am, and you should too.

The reality is I don't work 'normal' hours like many people do. I don't have a nine-to-five. I'm a four-to-eleven gal.

I had to have grace with myself and realize if I wanted to do this for the long term, I needed to allow myself to rest. If that means sleeping past 10 am, so be it.

Another aspect I would like to add to this is your diet.

I'm making it a priority to start my days with a healthy breakfast full of veggies, protein, and healthy fats.

I've noticed a huge difference in my energy levels throughout the day when I have a healthy breakfast.

I recommend prioritizing eating whole foods throughout the day as much as possible.

I feel much better having chicken, rice, and vegetables instead of pizza or fast food.

I have energy throughout the day and don't crash at night.

I'm not saying don't eat the other stuff you like. Do it. Just don't make those foods or snacks that aren't so healthy your main meal.

Go to your doctor or find a good one if possible if you can't find relief.

Another struggle I've had this time is doing what I usually did when I felt slumped, and those things are not working anymore.

If you have access to health care, use that resource.

For a while, I thought I could figure it out. I thought I would be able to find the answers by myself. But I'm not doing such a great job because, after a month, I'm not doing much better.

At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned how I felt dismissed by my doctor, and that's because, after a simple round of bloodwork, she decided it didn't deserve more attention because everything came back 'normal.'

I will go out of my way to find a different doctor, a holistic one since I don't want to hop on the prescription wagon (my personal preference, not telling anyone what to do).

And hopefully, and finally, figure out what's got me feeling this way.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful. If you want to share something that has worked for you, please share it in the comments.

If you've come all this way, thank you for reading, and until the next one!