Now What?

Have you ever found yourself wondering “now what?” when things aren’t going your way. It seems sometimes we can find ourselves in a string of bad luck or mishaps, feeling like the waves keep crashing in one after the other. In fact, it must be “a thing” because we all know the old wives tale that “bad things come in three’s” - and those sayings usually have a least a little truth to them to stick around for so long. So what’s with the strings of unfortunate events? 

Is it that we are subconsciously on the lookout for bad things once one happens and knocks us off our axis? Is that we are sending out negative energy into the universe and accidentally causing some laws of attraction to be set in motion? Is it just the way it is? Sorry for the anti-climactic response, but I don’t have the magical answer to this question. In fact, if I were being honest I’d have to admit that I too find myself asking “nowwww whatttt?” from time to time. So like it or not, these strings seem to happen and even if we aren’t sure why, there are a few little things we can do to help get us on a different track. 

First things first, to get on a different track, sometimes we need to literally do just that. This may take the form of trying a different activity that you haven’t done much of before, taking a day off, catching up with some friends you haven’t seen in a while, trying a new place to walk or a different route home, or even getting out of dodge for a little change of scenery for a day or two if you’re able. The purpose is just to serve as an interrupt or re-set. All of these suggestions help to shake up your mind and give it other tasks to focus on. When we are learning something new, doing something creative or changing our surroundings, we’re stimulating our mind in a different way and this can help break up previous patterns in our thinking.

The next strategy to drag yourself through the tough times is to try your best to focus on the positives. As we’ve talked about before, this becomes even more important when they are hard to find. According to some energy folks, positive thoughts carry much more power than negative ones, so even if you are only able to muster a few, then do that - they may help more than you’d think. Another way to conjure up positive feelings is to actively do things that usually make you feel good. Even if it doesn’t seem to in the moment, doing things that you intellectually know make you feel good (and have in the past) can help nudge your emotional side over to the light as well. More than just a distraction, doing something you like helps release some of the positive neurotransmitters/ messengers in your brain. These in turn help you feel more positive. If possible, an activity involving movement is most optimal as we get positive benefits from the release of hormones and neurotransmitters in response to movement and exercise as well as when we emotionally enjoy something - so it’s kind of like double the dose!

When trying to shift away from a string of negatives, it may be worthwhile to take just a moment and honour them as well. It’s ok to be annoyed, angry or sad about something, and giving those feelings a chance to rise might also give them the chance to fall. After you’ve “called it out”, it may help to think of another time that you overcame adversities like the ones you’re having now. This consideration can help you remember what worked for you in the past and gives you proof that you’ve made it through before, you can do it again!

Best case scenario, these strategies change your luck around. Worst case scenario, they at least help shift you into better thought patterns during the “now what?” times and help you see the positives that may come as a result of your situation. Even if these tools don’t end up calming the waves coming in, you’ll at least be in a better space to deal with the next challenge - in fact you might even see the humour in the next one that comes along.