How to Get Up and Survive From Failures

by enia nido in Advice, July 28, 2009

It’s hard to be faced with failures, but when we are, how do we react? Read on and learn how we can get up and help ourselves.

Many times, it is not possible to get what we want. We maybe disappointed and even depressed. A close friend of mine was saddened because she was not able to pass a very important exam. At times like this, how do we react and console ourselves. When you or one of your friends experience failure, do you act in a way that makes the situation more bearable or do you begin to turn negative?

Failures happen. This is something we all need to learn. However, we need to pick up ourselves, however hard life is. No hope is gone to a person who keeps his. Remember that failures can either motivate a person to further success. It may also cause someone to dig a deeper hole that leads to dangerous depression. It is therefore, of the utmost importance that we prime ourselves in how to react each time. The following are helpful if you or a friend feels weighed down by failures:

Pray. God does not judge a person by how much success he or she has accumulated but He understands that we are hurt. He knows what is best for us. Turn to Him; He will never disappoint you. Pray for strength and enough faith. He will do what is best for you.
Seek support from others. When we are sad or depressed, talking to others are therapeutic. It prevents us from further sliding down deeper. Look for the people whom you trust and share your feelings with them. Sometimes when the impact of an event hits us, we see things in a narrowed perspective. Talking to others and hearing their views will open up for us other possibilities and options that we may venture upon.
Stop negative thoughts. When negativism envelopes you, muster all will and decide that you have to stop. Realize that being negative will only make things more difficult. You will only be giving yourself much added stress and sleepless nights. When you feel negative, strive to turn your thoughts to other things and busy yourself for a while. Try watching a funny or feel good movie. Eat your favorite meal or play some uplifting music. All of these are therapeutic and will give you that boost you need to face the world again.
Stop blaming yourself. Given that you may have done some faults or maybe you blame yourself for not trying harder, realize that blaming yourself won’t help. You are not perfect. Accept to yourself the wrongs that you have done and learn from it. Its no use looking back and feeling bitter. Look ahead and do your best for now. Remember this line from the movie Ratatouille? It’s the one mentioned by Gusteau. “If you’re focused on what you’ve left behind, you will not be able to see what lies ahed. Now go up, and look around!”
Do not badmouth yourself. It is easy to say and think bad things about ourselves when we fail. We may say things like: “I am such an idiot and I am never good enough” or we may feel that we are unlikable and undeserving of love. When we fail, we go through many stages. We question what we may have believed all our lives. Do not lose hope. Remember that all the good things you have done before will not really be erased just because you fail this time around. Know that you are still a good, talented and nice individual. In the end, how we rise up from our failures matter more than the failure itself. Indeed, it may even inspire others as well.