Here Are Five Ways That Will Help You Cope With Bad News

Mental HealthJune 2, 2019

Life is not a bed of roses for most of us. Disappointment, bad news, grief, sorrow, frustration – none of us are immune to these. However, we are never prepared to face bad news. Hence we are almost always caught unaware. It can affect our mind and body intensely though. While the mind reacts to this kind of situation by being stressed, showing anger, or anxiety, the body suffers as our gut health deteriorates. It doesn’t have to be like this always though. There are ways to cope with bad news, and if you follow them you can survive it all and keep your cool too.

Don’t Suppress Your Negative Thoughts

Suppressing your negative thoughts is not recommended at all. Accepting the truth can be a challenge at times, but the sooner you do it the better you would feel. Not accepting the truth, and denying your feelings can bring about even more stress in your life. Give yourself some time to accept the truth and act accordingly. Take deep breathes and stay as calm as you can. When you can do that, you can also take the right decisions and take the right steps that are much needed in a time of crisis.

Think Of The Worst That Could Have Happened

If the present situation looks bleak, think of the worst situation that could have happened. This will make you realize that you are in a better situation. It is important to remember, that this is not the end of the world. This is known to be one of the best coping mechanisms. We must all remember that we cannot control the flow of bad news, but we can control the way we react to it. Staying positive and thinking that worse could have happened, staying grounded and calm will help you combat the situation better.

Do Not Avoid Triggers

Often we try to avoid the very triggers that will remind you of the bad news that is worrying you. Maybe you can read it in the newspaper, but you don’t want to remind yourself of it again. Experts believe that after receiving bad news, we should not avoid triggers that remind us of it. Instead, we should expose ourselves to it, as much as we can. This will help us neutralize and help us adapt to the situation as best as we can. This will help in stopping the trigger alarms and even in the future, the triggers would not pose a threat.

Keep Yourself Distracted

Keeping yourself distracted works well, in times of stress. However, most of us associate emotional eating with these conditions. That can be terrible for your health and you might even get addicted to junk. Instead, look for other healthier distractions. For example, listening to music, meditation, painting, or pursuing any constructive hobby. It has been found that we can use stress effectively if we can channelize it to something productive. Exercise can be a huge distraction. You can channelize all your negative emotions in it, and it will be actually good for your body. It is not unknown that exercising releases happiness hormone endorphins, which will lift your mood too.

Give Back

Bad situations cannot be controlled by us, but we can definitely prevent similar situations for others by giving back to society. We can either donate money, clothes, or other materials or donate our time to help less privileged people. This will help us immensely to calm our mind and get back to our everyday lives. If you have lost someone close, donating in their name will make you feel like you have done something for them, though they are not on this earth anymore. No other action can give you mental peace like charity does.

Deep breathing, crying and talking to someone you love, are some other immediate ways to relieve stress when there is a crisis at home or elsewhere. We have to remember that even in those times, we should remember to take care of others as well as ourselves. That includes our physical and mental health, and hence, staying calm is very important. Another thing to remember during trying times is that there will be ups and downs in life. It cannot be the same for everyone, all the time, but time is a great healer.