How To Cope With Bad News

It's not every day you get good news. That's because that's how life rolls. There are days you get the best of the world, and sometimes it's entirely the opposite. Imagine if everything is good and high, how do you think the world would be like? Boring? I don't know. I like to think that bad days are here for some reasons - either to teach you a lesson, tell you to work harder or tell you to be more patient.

So recently, I've been hearing bad news for consecutive days now, and it's all related to different departments of my life. The first one was bearable, the second one was not so but eventually bearable, and the third one is kind of a surprise (or more like "I knew this was coming"). Getting them all at once, well, I wanted to complain, but then I don't think it would do me any good. So how do you think we should handle bad news?

1. Take A Deep Breath

Okay, to tell you honestly, this was not my first reaction when I heard the first news. In the back of my mind, I was like, "No! Why?!" but I did not say that out loud because I was trying my very best to cover up my real reaction, which was frustration. I was frustrated because, obviously, I was not in favor of whatever that was that I just heard. Then a few minutes later, I calmed down and thought, "Alright, I can't do anything about that, so whatever." Apparently, I accepted the situation.

The second and third one was kind of related, and they were the most shocking. Learning about something you've never heard of for a long time can be a big surprise. So did you know what I did? I listened to a Ziggy Marley song to process my emotions. LOL SO ME. And thanks to that Ziggy Marley song, my overthinking mind, and fragile heart calmed down, and I took a deep breath. Then I realized, "It's okay, I will be fine."

2. Put It Under The Positive Light

Nope, this one's hard. I am not going to pretend that hearing bad news and perceiving it as something positive is an easy task. I mean, it's called bad news for a reason. It's not easy, and it takes time. Right now, I am still working on trying to put all the three bad news into proper context. So far, I'm starting to accept the first news as a challenge for myself to be better and work harder. So maybe they weren't bad news after all. 

For the last two news, I'm not even there yet. My mind's still processing the whole thing. I even think I'm still surprised. And so, that brings me to number 3.

3. Accept It With Self-Control

Again, I'm still in the process, so hopefully, I'll be doing this third step very soon. After a few hours, days, or weeks of hearing bad news, it will begin to lose its bite or its surprising effect. Ultimately, time will help you process and accept things how they are now. So while I'm at it, I might as well try to preoccupy myself with the positive things I have in life. Instead of replaying the past or overthinking about what the future holds, I think I should bring myself back here - in the present, with the good things I have right now. The more I react irrationally to the bad news, the more it could affect or ruin my present, and I don't want that to happen. 

This step is going to take time and lots of guts, but I'm confident that I can go through this. You've done this before Cindy, and you can do it again. I know you can too. 

Well, that's it for now. I'm a work in progress, so don't worry. Maybe I'll tell you soon on how did I came by. Ciao! 💛