fbpx

Struggling with an emotional low? Here’s how to get your joy back!

There are people who are naturally very upbeat, who always see the glass half full, who always respond to setbacks and challenges with the good ‘ol “what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger” attitude. Are you one of those people? Sigh. I envy you. Lol. Some of us have to work a little bit for it.

The very nature of my personality – introverted, intense, driven, – means I find myself warding off the blues on a fairly regular basis. So here, I share with you what has helped me claim my joy back each time. I hope you pick up one or two tips that could help you too!

It could be worse
The first, if not the most important, thing you should tell yourself when you feel the clutches of discouragement or depression reaching for you is simply this: things are never as bad as they appear. The mind will naturally present you with the worst case scenario and it is up to you to objectively hold that situation up to the light and catalogue what’s working vs what’s not, what’s wrong vs what’s right, what’s missing vs what’s already available.”] Like the simple song says: Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. When you begin to express gratitude for the many blessings in your life, almost immediately you will find your mood lifting and the problem shrinking.

Laugh!
Yep – laugh! Find something or someone that’ll lift your spirit. In situations like that, although you know you should pray and you really do want to but sometimes, you just can’t bring yourself to do so. The next best thing is to enter into joy – watch a funny movie, call up a lighthearted friend, get into a tickle fight…well, you get the idea. Discouragement and joy can’t live in the same house. Fill your space with joy by playing inspirational music and uplifting sermons in the background as you go about your daily business. Without any effort on your part, the words will find their way into your heart and fill you up with joy and strength from the inside!

[click_to_tweet tweet=”If you feel the clutches of discouragement reaching for you, tell yourself: things are never as bad as they appear. The mind will naturally present you with the worst case scenario and you have to OBJECTIVELY hold that situation to the light to see clearly.” quote=”If you feel the clutches of discouragement reaching for you, tell yourself: things are never as bad as they appear. The mind will naturally present you with the worst case scenario and you have to OBJECTIVELY hold that situation to the light to see clearly.” theme=”style2″]

Put on the light
Remind yourself that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Dust off those promises from God, the visions and goals that once got you so excited and put them in front of your eyes again. Start rehearsing them. Allow yourself to dream again. Do it and keep at it until the clouds clear away and you can see the bright horizon again.

Get loved up
If there’s one thing that always gets me back on my feel regardless of whatever challenge I’m facing, it’s a deep conviction of how much God loves me. My reasoning is this, if he loves me, then he’s got my back. And if he’s got my back, it’ll always end well for me. So, I find a quiet space, grab my bank of scriptures and confessions on God’s love and I begin to meditate on them. Usually, it doesn’t take long before I find myself full of joy, pumped up and ready to take on the world again.

Start a conversation about this!

Share this on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn: