What to do When You’re Emotionally Off Balance.
Sometimes I go through phases of life where I feel a littlllllle… off. Phases where negative emotions seem to hit me all at once and I know I’m not operating at 100%.
Have you ever felt this way? Like you’re teetering on the edge of burn out and anxiety is trying to pull you under? Or like your motivation is so far gone that it’s a struggle to get your body moving and out of bed some mornings? Or that constant voice in your head telling you what you should do, but you just can’t seem to get there? Me too, friend. 🙋♀️
When things seem out of my control, or when overwhelm swoops in and tries to take over, it brings me to a low point and I know I’m emotionally off balance.
Before we dive into anything, I think it’s important to understand that phases like this will happen from time to time to all of us. If you know me at all, then you know that I’m a pretty positive (read: annoyingly upbeat 😉 ) person. So if even this girl’s sunny disposition can turn dark and gloomy at times, then you have to know that everyone goes through a phase of being emotionally off balance at some point in their life.
And it’s ok when this happens! It’s part of life. Even when we’re trying our hardest to live our best life, we will still falter and feel like we’re failing and I’m just here to tell you that it’s ok.
The question becomes, however, how do we deal with our off-kilter emotions so we make sure we bounce back and don’t stay too long in this low point?
Here are a few things I’ve found to help:
Embrace This Slow Period.
You’ve heard the quote, “She believed she could so she did,” right? Well lately I’ve been seeing another quote buzz around that goes something like, “She believed she could, but she was tired. So she rested. And you know what? The world went on and it was ok. She knew she could try again tomorrow.”
Now, listen. I am an Enneagram 3. I LOVE progression and achievement and pushing through and basically I want to MAX OUT all the time. But this quote really stuck with me.
“So she rested.”
She. Rested.
What does this tell us? Embrace the break. Take the nap. Give yourself grace. Take the pressure off. Regroup. The world will go on, and you can always try again tomorrow or next week or next month when you’re not feeling so emotionally off balance. Maybe this low point is what God knew you needed.
Take care of your physical self.
Woo, girl! Sometimes when we’re feeling down, mustering up any energy or desire to care for our physical selves is the hardest thing on the face of the planet, isn’t it? When you can hardly manage to get up in the morning, how can you manage to exercise?
For example, when I go through periods of not feeling 100%, I seem to completely drop the ball on washing my face. Like, it’s terrible. Seriously, how much time does it take? 2 minutes? But I’ll get up the next morning and just plaster more make up on top of yesterday’s already smudgy make up because I can’t muster up the energy or will power to wash my friggin’ face.
And do you know what I’ve learned from this? Not taking care of my skin, or really myself, leaves me feeling WORSE. When I’m already down, do you know how feeling like my face is dirty and my make up isn’t up to par makes me feel? Definitely not better about myself! (As you can imagine.)
So take it from me, when you’re feeling emotionally off balance, try your best to pick a couple of things that you can do to take care of your physical self. Wash your face. Drink water. Exercise. Take a longer shower. Fix your hair. Dress the way you want to feel rather than how you actually feel.
It seems silly, but I swear to you, these things can make a difference on your attitude and outlook.
Take baby steps.
When you’re feeling off balance, it’s ok to just take baby steps and celebrate small victories.
Said another way: Celebrate the positives and practice gratitude as you go.
When you’re going trough a tough state emotionally, sometimes looking to a large goal can seem overwhelming. And often, I’ve found that it can make me feel defeated before I’ve even started. Do you know how tough it is to get up and workout in the morning when you want to just stay in bed ALL DAY?
So start small. If you want to get back to working out, try going 2 mornings a week. Then 3. Then see how you feel and try adding another day a week. And celebrate each small victory that’s leading you to your goal! (Along the health side of things, I talk about how I took baby steps to get my diet on track in this post if you’re interested.)
The point is, sometimes feeling off means feeling emotionally drained. So don’t try to tackle any large goals or dreams overnight. Baby steps, friend. Baby steps.
Reduce or Remove Things on Your To Do Lists.
Can we just take a second to talk about overwhelm here?
I’m convinced this nasty word is actually the source of most of my low points when I’ve felt emotionally off balance.
If you feel the same way, take heart. I’ve found two words that help: Reduce and remove. Reduce or remove things from your to do lists that are draining you. Maybe in this season of life, you need to let go of an obligation or activity. Or perhaps you could use some more help around the house or a little extra time to yourself so you can clear your head and recharge.
Don’t overthink it or try to explain it. The truth is, you’re not at 100%, and that calls for you to take some time on you.
Self Check.
Beyond the things listed above, I think it’s imortant when you’re in a rut to do a solid self check by asking yourself 2 important questions:
1. Hows my faith my life? More often than not, I’m feeling off balance because I’m also not closely connected with God. Adding a devotional, digging into the Bible, or amping up my prayer life always seem to help.
2. Is this “just a phase” or is this something more? I’ll be transparent here: Whenever I’ve hit a tough spot in the past, it’s always turned out to be a short term thing that I was able to work my way out of. So while I don’t have a whole lot of experience with depression or long-term anxiety, I don’t want to brush it off either because you may be in a tough spot right now and you’re struggling to work your way out of it. I hope not, and I pray not, but please don’t be afraid to ask yourself the larger (much harder) questions when you’re feeling off balance. It’s important to keep tabs on your emotional well-being and seek out further help if necessary.
Wrapping up.
Let’s be honest with each other: Feeling emotionally off balance IS NO FUN. No one wants to feel out of whack or like each day is drudgery.
If there’s any sort of encouragement I can share with you, (and yes, this will be cliche!) it’s that this too shall pass. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes quickly. But I promise you won’t be in this phase of life forever! One day you’ll wake up and look back at your harder days and feel grateful for the life you have now.
Or, if you’re a blogger, you’ll just realize that all of your past rough phases make for great writing material. 😉
OVER TO YOU: Which one of these tips resonated with you the most? Do you have any other tricks you use when you feel emotionally off balance? Feel free to share in the comments below!
