5 Instant Things You Can Do When You Feel Down
Everybody faces times when they are discouraged, down or struggling with hopelessness. We all know that being in that kind of state is not helpful. Remaining in a mindset that is “down” for long periods of time can lead us into more permanent states of depression and can bread all sorts of health issues.
I personally know the world of discouragement and seasons of feeling down. Odds are you do too. You may be having your own tough day or what seems like a tough year. Throughout every tough season of discouragement, I have sought to go deeper in understanding what it takes to shake off the heaviness of down times.
In the past, it took me forever to get out of a funk. I felt like I was stuck forever. But then over time, as God began to reveal to me the spiritual battle surrounding my life, I learned some simple tools to unwind myself quicker from despair.
Changing Your “State”
Sometimes you need to reposition your state of mind, so you can find solutions and answers for the situations that want to drive you to down places. I find when I am in a place of discouragement, I am far from being able to come up with solutions or find hope for taking the next step. Sometimes, just adjusting my emotional state into a more healthy position makes all the difference. I may not solve the problem or change the circumstance, but I put myself into a place where I can grow, see hope and perceive solutions.
With that in mind, here are three things you need to do to turn around a potential debilitating emotional state of discouragement and into a better state of mind.
1. Ask yourself, “Do I want to be in a better state of mind?”
This question can seem so basic, but it really hits to the core of our problem. Quite often discouragement can train us to become comfortable with being down all the time. It even affects people right down to their personality. Ever notice some people just live our of a temperament of heaviness? They wear it like a favorite suit!
We have to ask ourselves, “Do I want to be in a better state of mind?” If the answer is yes, then you know that you are personally responsible for the attitude that you carry and the direction you are headed. We can only blame our emotional state on our circumstances for so long. At some point, we must take responsibility and chose to begin our walk out of discouragement—whatever it takes.
You are personally responsible for the attitude that you carry and the direction you are headed
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Self-pity trains us to think that we are stuck and a victim of our circumstances. It teaches us to stay our comfy cozy hell of despair and sorrow. God comes with hope, but we have to decide if we are willing to listen and respond to hope’s call that we can change. You may not be able to change your circumstance. You cannot change other people. But you can change your state of mind, by first making a decision to change your attitude. The choice is yours. Don’t let the enemy take your power of decision away from you.
Self-pity trains us to think that we are stuck and a victim of our circumstances.
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2. Focus your attention on thanksgiving.
Nothing changes the atmosphere within us like thanksgiving. It is impossible to be deeply discouraged and truly grateful at the same time. Thanksgiving drives all kinds of discouragement and despair away, because it focuses our attention on goodness. God’s intent for thanksgiving is that it would remind us of His goodness. This helps us to remain centered, knowing that God is in control and we can rest on His nature in the midst of our situations.
Nothing changes the atmosphere within us like thanksgiving.
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We often mistakenly focus on circumstances changing, but God is always focused on us changing. Thanksgiving positions us to have an authority over the problem, so that we can see how we can grow. It also positions us to find possibilities. When we are in discouragement, we can’t see or hear solutions.
We often focus on circumstances changing, but God is always focused on us changing.
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This can be accessed immediately. Start by thanking God out loud for anything, even the breath you breathe; the fact that you woke up today. Thank Him for relationships, family, etc. Get your mind centered on what God IS doing, not on what you are tempted to think He is not doing.
3. Get moving.
Most of the time we need to get a new position physically so that we have a reference for our spirituality to shift. If you are sitting, stand up. Every notice that your posture often correlates to what your emotional state is? Discouragement wants you to lay down on the couch in a posture of defeat, so that you do not become empowered to see your life through hope and expectancy.
Exercise is great for this, but it can even be simply getting up and going for a walk. I often will stand up and start moving back and forth in a room, simply to shift myself out of a defeated posture and into a posture that triggers my mind and spirit to access my victorious position in God. Your body will not do it for you.
So what physical pattern do you fall into? Do you slouch on the couch, watch TV and fall into the discouragement? Notice how you don’t really feel any better doing that. Why not shift your posture and take charge of your state of mind? You’ll have to make the decision to break the patterns you fall into in order to move into a more empowering emotional state.
4. Speak out words of empowerment.
This is one of my favorite tools, because I have talked myself out of discouragement thousands of times. Words are so powerful, and you must understand that you are talking to yourself all the time in your mind. This is what is often called “self-talk.” Its the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes to dwell on about your life constantly.
If you don’t take charge of your thoughts, the enemy will do it for you. So you have to be aggressive when it comes to what you are thinking on. Speaking life to yourself out loud will yank you off the train of destructive thinking you are on.
If you don’t take charge of your thoughts, the enemy will do it for you.
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When you begin speaking out loud, you set in motion what you are going to dwell on. Quite often you can break the pattern of repetitious thoughts of discouragement by talking out loud what you want to think on.
When I speak words of encouragement to myself, I train my body to focus on thoughts that are good and helpful for me.
5. Begin to look outward.
A major trap with discouragement is that we begin to go inward. We turn our eyes off the world and onto ourselves, creating a deep cycle of self-focus. Unfortunately, this inward focus actually leads us into self-centered and selfish living. The discouragement of the enemy is not only meant to hold you back, but to keep you from your impact on others.
Often the solution to feeling down is go help someone else.
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Notice your first temptation when you are discouraged is to shut down from helping others. We think that because of our poor emotional state, we are of no use to others. Yet quite often, I find I need to get my eyes off of myself and go help someone else. In doing so, I get better perspective of my circumstances and I lessen the obsession about my problems. Sometimes in going through trials, helping others is a great combination for our own healing.
How can we do this, I can start by praying for someone, anyone other than myself. I can be mindful of someone who needs help.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words in the book of John:
Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest ’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! (John 4:35 NKJV)
Notice the verse says, lift UP your eyes. Discouragement makes your eyes go down or look inward. God says, “Lift them up. Look up. Get your head up. You’ve got a job to do!”
So next time you hit a moment of discouragement, apply these 3 things to change your emotional state. See the difference it makes!
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