Oct 12
19
The Bounce Back Plan
It’s probable that most people you know and maybe even yourself have experienced some down times. These may be due to a personal loss or a problem that was particularly overwhelming that the effect was negative. These down times often last for a few days to a week or worse months. Naturally, having it go on for so long will become unhealthy for you. I say this because allowing yourself to be sad is good too but if it goes on for too long, it could get worse and maybe even make you depressed and that is not healthy. Hence, it’s always best to have a bounce back plan for when things like this happen so that once you think you’ve had enough sadness, you can easily give yourself a boost of happiness that works.
Becoming Self Aware
Before we get to the main bounce back plan, you have to first learn to become self aware. Becoming self aware will allow you to notice your present state, whether your happy or going downhill. This is essential for the bounce back plan to work because you won’t be able to actually put the plan to action if you don’t know you’re heading in the wrong direction. So, make it a habit to conduct a self check every two days.
Self reflect and think about how things went for the past two days and how all these things made you feel. Were there any bad events and what were the effects on you? It’s important to make this a habit so that even when you are not in a very good condition, you will still be able to do it unconsciously since it’s become a routine.
Bounce Back Plan
And now, for the plan. How do you bounce back from grief, loss, or a depressing turn of events in your life? The following may be familiar to you as I’ll be mentioning some stages of grief in this plan. The idea is to make a plan of action in order to complete one stage after another.
Recognition. The first stage that applies to this plan is recognition. Recognizing that you are in a bad state and that you need to do something about it is the first step to action. So the initial part of the plan is the self check habit. With that, you will notice that something is wrong and realize that you need to get out of this state. That then is your go signal to proceed to the second step which is to make yourself reach acceptance. How do you do this?
Acceptance. To accept means to understand why things happened that way, so now you need to allow yourself to think rationally and in a positive light. When during your down times you only thought of how the world is unfair and that bad things always happen to you, now you need to let all that go and think of the good things and the why. Putting your line of thought in the positive direction would be saying things like, things could have been worse or things will be better, they always have. You also need to think of why it happened so that you can make amends with yourself that things happen for a reason and that though it could have been prevented, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Once you’ve accepted the reality of your situation, you can now proceed to the next and final step in this plan.
Happiness Boost. Finally, it’s now time to give yourself that boost of happiness. At this stage, you’re probably not in such bad shape as you were in the early stages of your down time. So now that you’re livelier, anything you do to cheer yourself up will most likely work. Hence, prepare at least three things that you’ll do for this stage. These activities are the usual things that give you such joy. They may be eating your favorite drink or simply having a fun night with your friends. Whichever works for you normally, that will suffice.
What will you do to cheer yourself up and give you that boost of happiness? Let us know in the comments box below!
About Jorge Blanco
Personal Development Junkie. Expert on Goal Setting, Time, Project, and Life Management. Master Strategist and Planner. Passionate Entrepreneur.
Author of Design Your Life: 5 Steps To Create The Life You Want, a complete guide to making a positive change in your life, and living a life by design. Now available on the Kindle Store
