Dealing with Setbacks

"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." -Vince Lombardi

I thought this might be a good time to talk about setbacks.

Life is full of ups and downs.  If you suffer from the effects of depression, anxiety, anger or stress you have more downs than ups.  How you choose to deal with the ups and downs of life can go a long way in dealing with your symptoms.

Maybe you’ve managed to start going for walks several times a week.  Then, you just lose the motivation and a week goes by when you do nothing.  You then start to get angry at yourself, and engage in negative self-talk,

for the perceived failure.  Your depression worsens, your anxiety increases, you become more stressed out, or your anger grows out of control.  Instead of being angry with yourself, you could choose to look at what happened as a minor setback.  Maybe you could’ve used a slight change in routine anyway because you were getting bored.  The next week, instead of walking several times a week, you decide to ride your bike instead.  Now, you’re right back on track and making progress.

The goal here is to look at the long-term trends.  I guarantee you’re going to have some setbacks, but if the overall trend is steadily going up, you’re still making progress.  Even if that progress is so painfully slow that you feel like you’re getting nowhere, it still counts as progress.  All those little increases will eventually add up to something huge.  The mantra here is: slow and steady.

Now, just because you had a setback doesn’t mean it can’t be something that you can learn from.  Being aware of how and why you had a setback is the first step.  Take a moment to examine your feelings about what happened.  What were some of the things you were telling yourself when it came time to do that activity?  Your body or mind may be telling you something.  For example, maybe you’ve been going out for a walk after work every day for the past week and then a week goes by where you did nothing.  Instead of getting angry or disappointed in yourself, look at it from a point of curiosity.  Maybe you think to yourself, “Eh, I just didn’t feel like it”, maybe you were dreading it, or maybe your boss has been piling up the work to a point where you were just too tired when you got home.  Whatever the case, use it to explore the cause and your feelings.  If you just didn’t feel like it, maybe you’ve become bored with the activity and it’s time to try something new.  If you were dreading it, perhaps it had something to do with the pain in your knee acting up.  Or, in the case of your boss, and if the activity is important to you, maybe it’s time to set some boundaries at work so you have time for the things that matter to you outside of work.

When we take the time to examine our setbacks and learn not to look poorly at ourselves, we can change the way we perceive that event and turn it into a positive, or learning, experience.  Part of this process is what some counselors will have you do in session and is called Cognitive behavioral Therapy, or CBT.  The goal of CBT is to change the way you perceive events that happen to you in your life.  If you have a setback, you’re most likely not going to be very happy about it.  However, you could rationalize it as being a positive step forward because you were getting bored with the activity anyway and needed a change.

It’s often been said that the best way to learn is by failing and learning from your mistakes.  If you can find a way to overcome your setbacks and continue on, you’ll find yourself a better person for it.  Not only that, but you’re continued perseverance will certainly have an effect on your depression, anxiety, anger or stress.

There’s one quote I often think about when this topic comes up:

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”

- Vince Lombardi

This page is supported by Futures of Palm Beach

Incoming search terms:

• setback after pregnancy
• symptoms of a setback after pregnancy
• what is a setback after pregnancy
• what is a setback after having a baby
• pregnancy setback
• setback quotes
• dealing with setbacks in life
• dealing with setbacks
• setback after birtH
• quotes about setbacks
• signs of a setback after pregnancy
• depression setback
• what is a set back in pregnancy
• set back after birth
• setback after pregnancy pictures
• Set back after pregnancy
• pregnancy setback symptoms
• setbacks quotes
• what is a setback after giving birth
• setback after delivery
• what is a pregnancy setback
• What causes a setback after pregnancy
• pregnancy set back
• how do you know if your having a setback
• dealing with depression at work
• quotes about being stressed and depressed
• anxiety SETBACKS
• coping with depression quotes
• setbacks after pregnancy
• symptoms setback after pregnancy
• signs of a setback after having a baby
• coping with setbacks
• symptoms of a set back
• depression set back
• depression recovery setbacks
• symptoms pregnancy setback
• what are the symptoms of a setback after giving birth
• child birth setback
• what are the symptoms of a setback after pregnancy
• How do you know when you have had a set back from having a baby
• how to deal with setbacks
• what does it mean to have a setback after pregnancy
• dealing with life set backs
• backset after pregnancy
• setbacks in depression recovery
• setbacks depression
• what does a set back after pregnancy feel like
• Having a backset after having a baby
• what does a set back feel like
• symptoms of a setback after having a baby
• what a setback feels like
• symptoms of a setback after c-section
• symptoms of a setback
• set back after labor
• setbacks in depression
• symptoms of a pregnancy setback
• setbacks and depression
• setback after pregnancy symptoms
• Dealing with life setbacks
• setback after pregnancy articles
• what\s the first signs of a set back
• Setback symptoms after you have a baby
• what causes a pregnancy setback
• set backs depression
• signs and symptoms of setbacks after c section
• signs & symptoms of a setback
• whats a back set after birth
• signs of a set back after birth
• symptoms of a setback after giving birth
• signs of a pregnancy setback
• when minor setbacks get in the way
• signs and symptoms of a pregnancy setback
• how would I know if I\m having a setback after giving birth
• who do u know when your having a setback
• what is a setback when you have a baby
• setbacks signs of depression
• setbacks during recovery from severe depression and anxiety
• What\s a setback after having a baby
• setbacks to depression
• whats the first signs of a set back
• whats a setback after having a baby
• what is some symptoms of a set back from a c section
• what is a backset in pregnancy
• what are signs of a setback after pregnancy
• what are symptoms if labor set backs
• what are symptoms of a setback after a csection
• what are the side effects of set backs afterhaving a baby
• what are the sign of a setback
• what are the signs of a setback after delivery
• what are the signs of a setback after labor
• what are the signs of having a set back after pregnancy
• What are the symptoms of a set back after a c-section
• what are the symptoms of a setback after a c section
• what can make u have a setback after u have a baby
• what can cause setback after birth
• symptoms of setbacks
• What a setback after pregnancy
• signs of a setback
• what happens when you have a set back after giving birth
• signs of a setback after delivery