17 Easy Tips: What to Do When You Feel Like You Are Falling Apart

What do I do if I feel like I’m falling apart?

You can often have those times in life when you feel like you are falling apart.

One thing that we all need to be aware of in life, is that there are going to be times when it really sucks, times when we seem to just keep getting knocked down and don’t seem to be able to get up.

These feelings are going to happen to everyone at some time in life, no one will escape them.

Life is all about positive and negative experiences. What we need to know is how to deal with them when it happens, and how to face up to living when it feels like we are falling apart.

We’ve all been there, those times in life, when even getting out of bed and getting dressed seems to be too difficult, let alone making it out into the world and having to carry on as if everything is normal.

These feelings can be brought on by many circumstances; death of a loved one, illness, financial worries, loss of a job, break up of a relationship or moving on from an old life.

Whatever the reason, what we all need are coping mechanisms to get us through this period of our life and out to the other side.

Feeling the emotions

Emotions can work for us or against us, and what we think determines the emotions that we feel. We can’t have a feeling without having a thought first.

There are times when we are feeling negative emotions and we will want to feel them. When a loved one dies, a relationship breaks down or we lose something that has been cherished in our lives, we will want to feel sad.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel this emotion and mourn for our loss, that is all part of being human and having a human experience.

This only becomes a problem, when we can’t move on from this emotion and these thoughts continually go around and around in our heads and we lose the ability to function in life.

If only changing a feeling from negative to positive was as easy as flicking a switch. The truth is, for many people, coping when they feel like they are falling apart is difficult and debilitating.

What to do when you feel like you are falling apart

When you feel that life is falling apart, what you need are coping strategies and tools that you can apply to lift you and to see you through.

We first need to focus on the immediate, what to do right now, not six months down the line but your immediate future, something that can help you to get up, get dressed and start to function again.

1. Admit your feelings

Don’t feel ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty for having a negative emotion, own your emotion and see it through.

Instead of trying to put on a brave face as a coping mechanism, let yourself feel your emotions.

Keeping things bottled up inside will do far more harm than good and very often feeling negative emotions and working through them is the first step to dealing with the situation.

2. Write it down

Getting your thoughts out of your mind and down onto paper can be very therapeutic. Thoughts can take on a life of their own inside your head and sometimes the simple task of committing them to paper can make things much clearer to understand and not as daunting to work through.

It will give you some space to step back and examine the thoughts that you have and put them into perspective.

3. Get up and get dressed

Sounds simple but for many, this step can prove to be the hardest. Getting out of bed, showering and getting dressed is the first step to normality and to taking some control back.

You will physically and psychologically feel better with this simple routine.

4. Exercise

We all know how good exercise is for the body but it is also crucial for emotional health.

The feel-good hormones dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are all released when we exercise and will help to lift your mood and give a natural high, lifting you out of depression.

A twenty-minute walk in the fresh air is all that is needed to start to lift your mood and to begin to feel happier.

5. Talk it through

If you can talk through how you are feeling. Sometimes another perspective can work wonders for how you feel emotionally, and it is always comforting and reassuring to know that you have people around you who are on your side and looking out for you.

Whether it is a friend, family member or health care professional, someone to talk to can help you to see what is going on.

6. Practice meditation and mindfulness

The practice of meditation and mindfulness can give you a fresh perspective on what you are thinking and feeling.

All too often thoughts that concern us haven’t even happened. Our constant need to live in the future can often obscure what is going on in the present.

Living in the present and focusing on the now can be an ideal way of putting worries into perspective. It can help to relieve stress and anxiety, can help sleep and can alter the negative thoughts that you are having, making you see the world more positively.

7. Get off social media

Social media can have a very negative impact on many people. The seemingly endless perfect lives of others can highlight problems that you see in your own life.

Of course, no one has a perfect life but it never seems like that on social media so switch off and get outside.

Stop comparing your life to others and see how your thoughts change.

8. Practice some self-care

Feeling distressed can often mean that we forget to take care of ourselves. Eating healthy, nourishing food is important.

What you put into your body can affect how you feel. Eating plenty of fruit and veg, and not eating too much sugar or refined carbs can alter your mood.

Avoid alcohol and stimulants as these can all hurt how you are feeling. Drink plenty of water and try to sleep as much as you can. Lack of sleep can play havoc with your nervous system. Try to nurture and nourish yourself as much as possible.

9. Avoid negative people

The last thing that you need in life when you are finding it hard to cope is a negative friend who enjoys revelling in negativity. Negative or complicated friendships will only ever work in one direction and it won’t be towards you.

These are people who will drain you emotionally but will never be there for you, cut them out of your life and focus on people who want to raise you and help you.

10. Take on a small project

When you feel that you can’t cope with life any small victory can really raise you.

Try setting yourself small challenges that will boost your mood and help to motivate you.

It could be something as simple as tidying your wardrobe or clearing the kitchen.

Any small challenge accomplished will give you a real sense of achievement

11. Take a physical and mental break

When everything seems to be getting too much, taking a break both physically and mentally can work wonders.

Removing yourself from the situation that is causing you stress and anxiety and to too feel overwhelmed can help you to view it with a new, more helpful perspective.

Whether you can remove yourself physically. or distract your mind with another endeavour, taking a break is often imperative.

12. Don’t obsess about things you can’t control

Acknowledge that there will be situations that you can have control over and ones that you can’t. Never become obsessed or stressed over a situation that is beyond your control. If you are faced with something that you have no way of controlling, you have to let it ride over you, obsessing about it is never going to change the results.

13. Separate yourself from your situation

If something happens that is going to make you feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed you need to separate yourself as soon as possible from the situation. Take a step back and acknowledge how you are feeling. Asses what if anything you can do and then move forward.

14. Learn to relax through controlled breathing

The physical side effects of feeling stressed, overwhelmed and anxious can be very debilitating. Anyone who suffers from these conditions will be all too aware of the symptoms that they can bring about.

Learning how to control your breathing is an amazingly effective way to cope when you feel like you are falling apart.

Controlled breathing teaches you the art of being able to relax and de-stress quickly and efficiently. This is something that you can do anytime, anywhere and in any circumstance.

15. Use positive visualization techniques

Positive visualisation is another highly effective tool that you can use when life is making you feel overwhelmed and stressed. This is another way of promoting positive thoughts and feelings and addressing the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Think of a positive thought that you have, one that makes you feel calm. relaxed and happy and then recall it in as much detail as you can, recall it in technicolour brilliance to make the vision even stronger.

The more that you can focus on it and the greater the detail, the quicker and more effective it will be for you.

16. Tap into the power of positive affirmations

If you tend to be critical or hard on yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed by situations affecting you, you need to have some positive affirmations to hand to repeat to yourself to dispel any negative thoughts.

A positive affirmation is a sentence such as; “ I am capable of coping with anything that comes my way.” Repeating these affirmations over and over will help them to sink into your brain and will become a positive belief the more that you practice them.

17. Seek the advice of a Professional

If you find it too difficult to try to change your thinking by yourself then seek the help of a professional. They will be able to give you the tools and techniques to start putting change into action. They will be there to offer you support and accountability and any advice and encouragement that you may need.

Things to remember

Often when we look back on times that we thought were terrible they in retrospect weren’t or they were times when we learned valuable lessons or our lives changed for the better because of the circumstance.

When you feel that life is getting you down or that you can’t cope try to approach your circumstances in a level-headed way.

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself wondering what to do when you feel like you are falling apart, you need to remember that there are many options available to you.

Following the above tips can help you overcome any feelings of stress and anxiety you may have from difficult situations.

For many people working with a professional can be the ideal way to work through the thoughts that they are having and to start to see another side to their problems.

Coaching can be one avenue to take when life seems to be falling apart.

Remember, there will always be someone there who can help you to start working through the times in your life when you feel that you are falling apart.

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