How To Feel Good About Yourself During Challenging Times

How can you feel good about yourself in the middle of a challenging situation? Whether it's a global challenge or a personally difficult period, there are several things you can do to uplift yourself and feel a little more positive during this time. 

Published May 28 2020 7 min read

During difficult situations, it can be hard to feel good about yourself. With an uncertain world around you, you may not be sure what comes next or how to handle day-to-day life, much less anything more complicated. Self-care becomes increasingly important during difficult periods of time like this one.

How can you feel good about yourself in the middle of a challenging situation? Whether it's a global challenge or a personally difficult period, there are several things you can do to uplift yourself and feel a little more positive during this time. 

Tip #1: Check Your Diet

healthy diet mood booster

If you find yourself falling into a hard slump, including suffering from increased depression or anxiety, take a look at your diet. In the midst of challenging times, it's often incredibly tempting to turn to comfort foods. Unfortunately, those same foods that bring an immediate sense of comfort may bring increased anxiety and frustration over time. 

Instead of indulging in comfort foods throughout the crisis, make sure that you're mixing up your diet and eating healthy foods when possible. That doesn't mean that you should avoid comfort foods altogether, but it does mean that you should carefully consider what you're eating and how it's impacting you. Try:

Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. If you're having trouble getting out, consider produce delivery services or a regular delivery box, which will bring them straight to your doorstep. As you fill your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, you'll be more likely to get the nutrients you need. You'll also find that the foods you eat can make a big difference in your mood: a diet rich in citrus fruits, for example, won't just help you stay healthy, it can actually prove calming

Eating more fatty fish. Fatty fish, like salmon, can help calm your nerves and feeling less anxious in general, which can help you feel better about yourself, too. 

Experimenting with new recipes. Are you stuck in a recipe rut? Consider trying out new recipes, especially recipes that incorporate plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables. You'll find that these recipes make you more likely to get excited about the food you're eating — and help prevent you from reaching for unhealthy choices. 

In addition to helping you feel better about yourself in general, a healthy diet in the midst of a crisis or challenge can help you avoid putting on extra weight. That, in turn, can help you feel better about your body and more confident in your skin. 

Tip #2: Get Moving (Every Day!)

If you're struggling through a challenging time, making time for exercise can make you feel even more anxious and stressed out. Making regular time for exercise, however, can help decrease anxiety.

Exercise can also help you feel better about yourself, both because it can help you shave off unwanted pounds and because you'll feel a sense of accomplishment as your strength and endurance increase. You'll also find that regular exercise gives your mind a break and allows you the freedom to "get away" from your problems for a few minutes, even if it's only temporary at best. Try:

  • Walking around the block
  • Having a dance party (alone or with the kids)
  • Checking out a virtual exercise class — many gyms, trainers, and organizations are offering online classes, and you'll be able to find free videos trialing many different workout options
  • Stretching

Tip #3: Prioritize Adequate Sleep

When you're feeling depressed or anxious in the midst of a challenging situation, it can be hard to convince yourself to get up off the couch, turn off the television or put down your phone, in order to get the sleep you need at night. Adequate sleep, however, can go a long way toward helping you feel much better about the world in general — and yourself in particular.

During difficult times, in particular, you need to make the extra effort that will help you get enough rest. Aim for around eight hours of sleep a night. If you discover that you feel better with more sleep, indulge yourself! You'll find that adequate sleep helps you better prepare for all the challenges you will face in the coming days. It can help you be more creative, provide you with more energy, and help you manage emotional turmoil as you deal with the issue at hand. 

Tip #4: Indulge in Sex

During periods of upheaval, it can be difficult to connect with your partner — both physically and emotionally. You may feel isolated, uncertain, or even irritable, making it difficult to arrange for a hot, steamy sex session. Sex, however, can help produce endorphins and other hormones that can improve your mood. Not only that, but sex can also help you feel more connected to your partner, which can improve your emotional relationship. After a steamy sex session, you're likely to feel more confident in yourself, too. 

Don't have a special someone in your life that you'd like to indulge with? Masturbation can also help release those hormones — and, in fact, can help boost your mood even if you do have a partner in your life. Try out Crescendo, Tenuto, or Poco to enhance the experience, regardless of whether you're engaging in a solo masturbation session or looking for a sex session that will help you feel more connected to your partner. 

Tip #5: Pamper Yourself

pamper yourself mood boost

During difficult periods, your to-do list can overwhelm your ability to find ways to pamper yourself, especially if you've been cut off from many of your usual outlets. Find ways to pamper yourself in spite of the challenges you're facing. You may want to:

Try out a face mask or other beauty products. Indulge in a product that you've been intending to try out for a long time. Shut yourself in the bathroom and enjoy it, even if that means that you put the kids in front of the television for a little while longer than you intended or that your spouse takes over for a little while.

Take a long bath. If you're dealing with stress-induced sore muscles, an Epsom salt bath can help melt away some of that tension and leave you feeling more like yourself again.

Indulge in something you've been putting off purchasing. Is there something you've been putting off buying because you have trouble splurging on yourself? Indulge in a purchase or two, once you've made sure that it fits in your budget. Allowing yourself small indulgences can go a long way toward improving your overall opinion of yourself, especially in the midst of trying times.

Tip #6: Set Goals You Can Reach

During high-stress periods, your brain may actually not function as well, especially if that stress continues for a long period of time. As a result, it can seem increasingly harder to reach the goals you'd set for yourself before that trauma and stress set in. You may even find yourself struggling to manage normal daily tasks that you usually take care of with ease. 

If you're finding yourself struggling to reach your goals, take some time to reevaluate your current plans. What goals can you reach? Some days, those goals may be as simple as getting up and taking a shower. You may have tasks related to the challenging circumstances around you to take care of or normal tasks that you need to finish in order to take care of your home and family. 

Aim for SMART goals: goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented. Try not to set goals that are outside your ability to reach them effectively. If you have additional time, pick up a project, but make sure that your goals within that project are attainable. If you don't have extra time, set goals that include the tasks you need to work through. As you accomplish your goals, you'll find that it improves your view of yourself and helps you feel more confident — and that, in turn, can help you feel more motivated to handle future goals. 

Tip #7: Build New Skills

One of the best things you can do for yourself is building new skills and accomplishing new things. If you're struggling with feelings of inadequacy, learning to do something new and different can help raise your confidence. Choose something that you've always wanted to learn how to do. It could be as simple as learning how to bake your own bread or mastering cupcake decorating, or it could be more complicated: taking a class or attaining certification for your job, for example. Those new skills — and the sense of accomplishment that comes along with them — can give you a reason to feel triumphant even in the midst of incredible challenges. 

At MysteryVibe, we want all of our customers to feel great about themselves. Our products aren't a cure-all for anxiety, depression, or the challenging-times slump that people all too easily fall into, but they can deliver an enhanced sexual experience that will help you learn more about your body. 


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