The art of bouncing back: How to conquer a tough time

Going through a bad breakup? Lost a friend or family member? Feeling depressed, and you’re not really sure why?

There are many factors that can contribute to a difficult semester, and it’s easy to feel overpowered and lost.

Different situations call for different remedies, but Inside talked to Barbara Moss, General Health Educator at the Health and Wellness Education Office, about ways to push through when your road turns rocky.

How to start
“The key step is to find support,” Moss says. “Don’t isolate, but let others know about your trauma. The likelihood is that they will be more than willing to help you, even with mundane tasks such as shopping and cooking.”

Moss also recommends sharing specific feelings with a good listener like a counselor or to keep a personal journal. She says working through your feelings now will increase your progress in the long run.

Keep it in perspective
“A key to resilience is to have the understanding that life is full of hard times and you are not being singled out,” Moss says. “Everyone experiences these disappointments or crises in some form. It’s important not to see yourself as a victim.”

Moss points out that many individuals have already overcome hardships at some point, so it’s important to remember and draw on these experiences. Calm, rational people who see setbacks as temporary instead of the end-all be-all are often the most successful.

Don’t sell yourself short
“The most important thing is to always remember that you are always worthy of, and deserving of, happiness,” Moss says. “If you can cultivate traits of resilience and practice the coping strategies for dealing with situations of loss, ‘these too shall pass’ and many other satisfying life experiences will await you.”

*For more information visit the IU Health Center. It offers a variety of services from educational resource rooms to one-on-one counseling with Counseling and Psychological Services.