You’re stuck in a job you hate, you can’t stand your commute, and the people you work with are the worst. Anything you put your effort into turns out to be a failure. You lay in bed at night, consumed by anxiety and stress, wondering why you can’t just be happy. Why do things have to take a negative turn every time? It feels like everything is against you and you often think, why my life is so bad?

No matter who you are, there will be times when you’d wonder if life is supposed to be this hard. You may feel like you can’t catch a break, like the world is out to get you. When that happens, it’s important to have a plan of action. Below are five tips for making the most of an exhausting life. Keep reading to shake off bad thoughts and feel great again!

1. Reiterate The Things You’re Grateful For

A few years ago, I struggled with my mental health, and things just felt dark and hopeless. In moments like these, it’s easy to dwell on all the negative things in your life and forget all the good. But I decided to try something different. Instead of wallowing in my misery, I started practising gratitude every day.

I would wake up each morning and think of three things that I was grateful for. At first, it was hard to find anything to be happy about. But after a few days of forcing myself to think of something positive, it got easier—and eventually, it became second nature.

Gratitude changes your perspective – it’s a tool you can use to reframe even the hardest situations. When you’re feeling down, take a step back and look at all the things you’re grateful for in your life. This could be something as simple as the sun shining on a beautiful day or a friend being there for you when you need them.

But how exactly does gratitude work? Well, gratitude activates different brain parts associated with positive emotions like happiness, love, and compassion. Gratitude also reduces activity in the amygdala—the part of the brain responsible for fear and anxiety. So next time you’re feeling down, try practising gratitude and see how it changes your perspective. Trust me; it works like a charm!

2. Allow Your Body To Feel The Current Emotions And Then Snap Out Of Them

There’s nothing wrong with being sad, even when you think, ‘why my life sucks’. Because the truth is, life is hard at times, and that’s when you must learn how to turn your life around. Sadness is a natural emotion we all experience from time to time. Maybe you’re sad because you didn’t get the promotion you were hoping for or because a loved one passed away. Whatever the reason, it’s okay to feel sad—but only for a little while. Don’t dwell on your sadness, or it will start to control your life. Instead, allow yourself to mourn for a day and then move on with your life.
Anger is another completely normal emotion that we all experience. And like sadness, it’s okay to feel angry—but again, only for a little while. If you find yourself getting angrier and angrier about something, take a step back and try to calm down. Once you’ve calmed down, you can think more clearly about the situation and figure out what (if anything) needs to be done.

3. Take Time For Yourself To Relax And Rejuvenate

You know the days when you ask yourself, why is my life so bad, and is life supposed to be this hard? That’s when knowing what to do when life is full of problems becomes inevitable because you cannot let this sadness eat away your precious time.
On days like these, remember to take time for yourself and do something that relaxes and rejuvenates you. It doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. It can be as simple as eating comfort food or sleeping an extra hour. The main thing is understanding how to turn your life around with conscious effort. Because when you feel like why my life sucks, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back and breathe.

Here are some quick tips you can practise when you wonder why my life is so bad:

Take a hot bath: Add some soothing aromatherapy or Stress Away™ essential oil blend to your bathtub for an even more relaxing experience. Then sit back, relax, and let the day’s worries melt away.

Make yourself a cup of tea: There’s nothing quite like a warm cup of tea to comfort you and mute the constant worry of why my life is so bad. So, take a few minutes to brew a cup of herbal tea—with or without caffeine, depending on what will help you relax—and savour the moment as you sip slowly.

Read your favourite book: Getting lost in a good book is often the best way to forget about your troubles for a little while. So, curl up in your cosiest spot with your favourite book and let yourself get swept away into another world far from your troubles.

Take a nap: If reading isn’t your thing or you’re just feeling extra exhausted, consider taking a nap instead. A quick 20-30 minute power nap can work wonders for restoring your energy and makes it easier to face the rest of your day with a positive attitude.

4. Talk To Someone Who Will Listen And Offer Support

When you feel why my life sucks, all you need is someone to listen without judging or offering unwanted advice. Just someone who will be there for you in your time of need. And that’s what a life coach can be. A life coach is trained to listen to your problems and help you find ways to overcome them. They can offer support and guidance, but they won’t tell you what to do. If you’re feeling lost or stuck in a rut, talking to a life coach can be incredibly helpful. They can help you see your situation from a different perspective and offer new insights that you may not have considered before.

5. Avoid Negative Self Talk

A negative self-talk is a form of cognitive distortion, i.e., irrational thoughts we tell ourselves to justify our feelings or actions. Other cognitive distortions include black-and-white thinking (everything is either good or bad) and jumping to conclusions (assuming that we know what someone is thinking without any evidence to support it).
These cognitive distortions are harmful because they prevent us from seeing things clearly and making rational decisions. When we’re feeling down, negative self-talk leads us to believe things that aren’t true. We convince ourselves that we’re worthless, that we’ll never be able to fix the problem, or that everyone is against us. As a result, we end up feeling even worse than we did before and often make poor decisions that can further compound the issue.
So, what can you do instead when you question yourself, ‘why my life sucks’? The next time you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk, try to reframe your thoughts in a more positive light. Instead of beating yourself up for losing your wallet, give yourself some credit for being proactive enough to cancel your cards and start looking for them immediately. Instead of getting angry at yourself for being stuck in traffic, use the time to relax and de-stress by listening to music or taking some deep breaths. And instead of dwelling on the bad news you received, try to focus on the silver lining—like the fact that it allows you to learn from the experience.
Rounding Up

To complete your journey of self-discovery and emerge stronger, cultivate feelings of gratitude. Acknowledge all the subtle beauty around you and how blessed you truly are when you think, why is my life so bad? Swap toxic self-talk for kinder words that affirm your strength to learn how to make your life better. In life, we’re only given what we can handle. So instead of overwhelming yourself with everything that is wrong, choose to enchant yourself with the moments that make life wonderful and don’t worry too much about ‘why my life is so bad.’ Then, rise like a mighty wave and overcome these difficult times. You can do it — nothing will stop you once you decide to take control of your future and live purposefully!