The 3 Reasons Why I Was Able to Recover Quickly and Come Back Stronger After a Setback

About a month ago, I was feeling down about something that happened. I was discouraged about how it turned out and then was disappointed at my reaction to it; however, I was able to not only recover quickly, but also come back stronger. Recovering quickly from this setback allowed me to move on and not waste days in a slump, while coming back stronger allowed me to feel empowered.

There were three reasons why I was able to do this, and I want to share those with you today.

Reason #1: I gave myself the gift of compassion by allowing myself to get it all out in my journal.

The first thing I did was show myself compassion and gentleness, by allowing myself to be sad, disappointed, angry, etc. – all the feelings that came with my response to the situation. I took out my journal and laid it all out. I acknowledged how I felt and why I felt those feelings. Basically, my pen, my journal, and I, had a pity party. After just letting the pen flow for pages, I got everything I needed out, and boy, did it feel good.

Reason #2: I referred back to prior celebrations, accomplishments, and victories that I have previously recorded.

After I allowed myself to vent and get out all of my emotion, I moved on to this step as soon as I could. In my same journal, I also write about my celebrations, accomplishments, and victories, not only every 90 days (as you may know by now), but also whenever anything wonderful happens, big or small. When I find myself overjoyed by something great that I made happen, or when I feel like I had a huge impact on someone’s life that day, or if I accomplished something that was really difficult or out of my comfort zone, I write about it in my journal so that I can recall it when I need some inspiration.

Reason #3: I have worked on being a happy person by choice, not chance.

After I complete #1 & #2, I’m not only able to recover quickly but actually come back stronger. I truly believe that I’m able to do this because I’m a generally happy person, not by chance, but by choice. This goes back to Mood in general (Remember The 4 Areas That Will Make or Break You? How did you score yourself on Mood?). In general, I’m a pretty happy person because it’s good for my health:

“An emerging body of research suggests that probing your happiness is one of the most important things your doctor can do to predict your health and longevity, and offer you advice on how to live healthier and longer.” –Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener

Happier people are not only able to bounce back from negative situations, but they also enjoy better health, improved immune function, higher creativity, and enhanced social lives. They also appreciate their work more and tend to get more frequent promotions than unhappy people.

On a physiological level, when we experience positive emotions such as gratitude, love, joy, kindness, and relaxation, for example, our cortisol levels drop, which allow us to feel less stressed, less subject to cravings, and less prone to premature aging. At the same time, our serotonin levels rise, allowing us to feel calm, cool, upbeat, and much more able to regulate our health behaviors. (Book: Smarts and Stamina)

I truly believe that happiness, positivity, optimism, and having best daily practices that contribute to a good mood, are really what not only allowed me to bounce back last month, but also will continue to allow me to live a healthy life.

Remember that our sleep, mood, food, and exercise are all connected. As a matter of fact, improving just one area can help enhance the other areas as well. Our health and happiness are related in more ways than you can imagine, and we’ll continue this series next week because it’s so important to your overall well-being.

For today, I’d like to challenge you to choose how you will respond to something that has happened this week based on my three “Reasons.” For example, maybe something unfavorable happened to you this week and maybe you’re still holding it inside. I suggest allowing yourself to let it out on paper (Reason #1). Maybe you had a great week and accomplished something you’re proud of. I suggest writing about this victory so that you can refer back to it when you need some inspiration and a reminder of how amazing you are (Reason #2).

Or, maybe today what’s resonating with you is that you just want to work on being a happier person in general because it’s good for your health and well-being. If so, I suggest Reason #3; make it a choice. Like the other “Reasons,” I also invite you to write out some ideas about how you will begin to do this. Maybe you need to evaluate some current relationships or health choices. Maybe you need to take some time off away with your spouse, best friend, or with yourself. Maybe you need to make a commitment to getting more sleep. Maybe something else?

Which “Reason” are you going to work on this week? Share it in the comments below and let’s make it a happier, healthier week!