While I am an overthinker and I get anxious at times, I would like to think that I am generally a positive person. I like looking on the bright side, seeing the silver lining and all those other positive clichés.

Read about how my Mind of Yash blog got started here!

But people, I am gonna get real real with you all. This past month of July almost took me down. 😖

I have had some rough days, but nothing compares to what July 2019 had in store.

I am so glad it is over. It was NOT my month. 🙁

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Just to give you a glimpse of some of the things that happened:

• The month started off with my baby girl being sick to the point that it affected my breastfeeding. It also was a semi-misdiagnosis of her symptoms, so I had to get a second opinion. It took a toll on us because she was not eating and drinking as she usually would. Thankfully she recovered fully, her appetite is better than ever and we now have somewhat resumed breastfeeding.

• My car battery died. I was trying to leave work earlier so that I could get home safely in the inclement weather. But Murphy had other plans. As soon as I tried to start the car, the battery died (though we weren’t sure that was the problem at first). A co-worker tried his best to help but eventually my car insurance’s roadside assistance came to my rescue and gave me a jumpstart. I drove straight home and we got the battery replaced the next morning.

• I almost did not get my application for a scholarship to finish my PhD Studies in by the deadline. This was due to several reasons – glitches with the website and the application process, and I missed a vital piece of the application process (I still blame the wording of the instructions but meh). I had to do some last minute rushing but got the main documents.

There were several other things in this series of unfortunate events, including an issue with my tax returns even though I did the SAME thing I do every year, I got a huge pimple under my arm that hurt for a few days (I always heard stories about these but had never experienced one), and my husband’s work schedule kept changing so it was very hard to plan anything to get a much needed break.

Things seemed to culminate yesterday when I learned that someone basically threatened the lives of my loved ones and there was a fire in our neighbour’s yard which caused our house to be engulfed in smoke. We are not sure if the grass that was cut the day before was intentionally set ablaze. The smoke was so terrible that my grandma had to take my baby girl to our other neighbour’s house.

Sigh.

To TOP things off, I went to my usual place to get a French Brazilian wax on Tuesday. They had no numbing cream. 😣 Then I learned yesterday that they had a special TODAY for half-off (oh the irony) on Brazilian waxes, with DOUBLE numbing cream AND a shot of tequila before you start. Now I am not really a drinker but after the month that I had, I would have welcomed that shot with open arms! In retrospect, maybe I should have not booked anything like that in July…😒

So you could understand why yesterday afternoon, my positivity levels were at an all-time low. 😟

I needed to post today as a form of therapy.

In Trinidad and Tobago, we also celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1^st. So it feels like a day of liberation from the arduous month of July. Thankfully I made it!

I do know that while things weren’t great, they were all mostly resolved and things could have been much worse.

But I do recognise that I need to regroup and recharge.

7 Ways to Recover

So for this month, I am going to use these 7 things to recover from my not-so-great month. If you are going through a rough time, then hopefully they can help you too.

1. Take a Breath and Process Your Feelings

Sometimes when things seem to be going awry, just take a moment.

Take a deeeeeep breath. Breath in positivity, breathe out the negativity. Seriously, don’t wait to exhale.

Allow yourself to go through the motions. Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel so much but I’m only human. So I embrace my feelings and let them out when I need to. I feel better and more refreshed after I do. Accepting the feelings can help us move forward.  

2. See the Lessons and the Blessings

In the moment you might be too frustrated to see it but bad days can help you learn a lot.

You learn about other people and you learn about yourself. You learn what changes need to be made to make things better. You learn to appreciate the good days.

Bad times can be blessings in disguise. You become stronger and wiser. Take the time to recognise all the good things in your life. Put things into perspective. Are things really as bad as they seem?

For instance, I may have had a frustrating time getting my scholarship application in, but I did get it in and it means I still have a chance.

Don’t let the bad times define you. One bad day (or month) doesn’t mean a bad life.

3. Do More of What You Love with Whom You Love

What I Love to Do +Who I Love = The Best Time

This is my favourite life equation.

Being with the people you love while doing something you love is what I live for. Today, my husband and I ran away for about two hours to have lunch at TGI’s. We had the most fun.

4. Try New Things

In the spirit of trying new things and because I felt I needed a drink, I ordered a margarita during our lunch date. Now, this might not exactly be new because I believe I had a margarita right before I found out I was pregnant. But let’s say it’s new for this year. See my reaction below.

Tee hee. Okay, so that reaction is not what I was going for but it still good to mix things up. You can discover so many awesome things that can help you stay positive. Trying new things could simply mean a change in scenery. I know that always helps me reboot.

5. Up the Exercise

I am in need of some more endorphins. I had almost forgotten how much better exercise makes me feel.

The birthday Zumba master class of a good friend and some fam-jam walks this month reminded me that I love being active. It gets your blood flowing and makes you feel better in every way.

So upping my activity levels is high up on my agenda.

6. Take Some Me Time

Also high on the agenda is some self-care and me-time. I already started by having a reflexology session today. I also plan to take all opportunities to use my sister’s new therapeutic massage skills.

It doesn’t have to be too extravagant. Take some time to meditate, read a book, dance, watch a favourite movie. I plan to write more and take some time to develop myself. I am not sure if this is strange, but taking the time to learn new things and hone my skills is very relaxing for me.

Two things I definitely also need to do are drinking more water and taking a little time every day to unplug.

7. Remember that Everything Will Be Okay

And during my “unplugged” time, I will remind myself that life is not always sunshine and rainbows. It is dynamic. We have to learn how to enjoy the high moments and ride out the low ones.

There will always be challenges but I have to remember that I will be okay. By God’s grace, I make it through.

I will look back on this time and see the bigger picture. Everything happens for a reason right?

I already feel like a weight has been lifted. I am looking forward to the rest of 2019.

Ready. Resetting. Go.

Can you think of a time where Murphy really was after you? Is there anything you do to receiver from bad days? Let me know in the comments!

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