14 Best Things to Do When Your Life Sucks (Why It Happens)

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Life sucks for all of us sometimes! That’s one of the hard truths we have to accept. But what should you do when this happens and what are some of the reasons why life sucks sometimes? Continue reading this post to find out.

Nobody’s life is perfect. Life is hard, and we all struggle with various things in our lives that can make us feel like giving up on it all. However, it would be best if you didn’t allow the challenges you are experiencing to make you feel defeated.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity and blaming yourself or others for whatever is making you go through a difficult time, there are some things you can do when your life sucks to make everything right in your world again.

In this post, we shall give examples of things that may be the reasons why your life sucks sometimes and discuss what to do when this happens. Read on…

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10 Reasons Why Your Life Sucks Sometimes

  1. Mental health issues, e.g., depression, PTSD, anxiety, etc.
  2. Physical health problems, e.g., illnesses, injuries, or a disability,
  3. Lack of purpose in life
  4. You have no friends or family
  5. You lost/have no job
  6. An unsatisfactory job
  7. Loss of a loved one through death, abandonment, divorce, or a breakup
  8. Financial difficulties
  9. Relationship issues, e.g., infidelity, abuse, infertility, etc.
  10. Feeling like you have no control over your life

READ ALSO: 16 Things to Do Before the End of the Year

14 Best Things to Do When Your Life Sucks

  1. Practice self-reflection

Sometimes you may feel dissatisfied with your life but have no idea why. One of the best things to do when your life sucks without an obvious reason is to practice self-reflection. It will help you identify what is causing these feelings.

You can practice self-reflection while sitting quietly alone, meditating, writing in a journal, asking yourself reflective questions, and thinking about what has been going on in your life.

What is working? Which areas of your life require improvement?

Through self-reflection, you will identify the reasons why your life sucks right now and then do something to change it by taking these next steps.

READ ALSO: Feeling Disconnected? 6 Ways to Connect to Your Inner Self

  1. Accept and acknowledge your feelings

It is okay not to be okay all the time. Suppressing your negative feelings is one of the worst things you can do when going through a difficult time. It may result in toxic positivity and escapism, which could worsen your mental health.

One of the best things to do when your life sucks is to accept and acknowledge your negative emotions. If something bad happened, for example, you lost a loved one or a job, or are heartbroken, allow yourself to feel the pain.

Grieving or feeling sad, stressed, angry, and disappointed when something bad happens is a natural reaction. Accepting and acknowledging these negative feelings will help in the healing process.

  1. Practice gratitude

Even though your life sucks right now, there are probably some good things happening in it that you may fail to notice because you are too focused on the negatives. While this is not to say that you should always be positive, dwelling only on the negative things and emotions will make your life suck even more.

Practicing gratitude is one of the best things to do when your life sucks as it makes you notice and appreciate what you have. So, look for the positive things happening in your life or those that have remained the same when everything seems to be falling apart around you, and be thankful for them.

The things to be grateful for don’t even have to be big. They can be small everyday wins, good health, loved ones, belongings, or any other thing that means a lot to you. Even when life sucks, there could be things that are going well for you.

READ ALSO: 35 Best Monday Motivation Quotes to Start the Week on a Positive Note

  1. Help others

Perhaps the reason why your life sucks right now is that you haven’t figured out what to do with your life. Failure to know your purpose in life can be dangerous as it could make you feel like your life is pointless, meaningless, and directionless.

Helping others by volunteering your time, money, and energy is one of the best things to do when your life sucks because of a lack of purpose. It will make you feel useful, give you a sense of fulfillment, and boost your overall well-being.

Going out there to help others will distract you from your own problems and make you meet people who may be going through worse things than you are. It could help you stop pitying yourself, develop empathy, and gain a new perspective on life.

READ ALSO: 4 Things to Do After Achieving All Your Goals

  1. Practice self-care

Still wondering what to do when life sucks? Practicing self-care is one of the best things to do when you are going through a difficult time.

Depending on the specific reasons why your life sucks right now, you can practice self-care to improve your mental and physical well-being.

Some of the best self-care activities you can do when your life sucks include exercising, practicing meditation, eating healthy foods, taking a relaxing bath, listening to music, taking a walk, getting enough sleep, drinking water, reading a book, and spending more time with your friends and family.

  1. Look for a fulfilling job

You can keep saying how your job or lack of it is the reason why your life sucks right now, but if you don’t do anything to change your situation, you will remain stuck like this.

Looking for a fulfilling job or changing your career are some of the best things to do when your life sucks. A good job will align with your interests, values, and talents while meeting your personal and financial needs.

READ ALSO: 10+ Ways to Get Your Life Together (and Why You Need to)

  1. Turn to your support system

When life sucks, many people do the opposite of what they should do – they push the people they love away. They may not want to admit they need help or burden others with their problems; thus, they isolate themselves.

However, turning to your support system is one of the best things to do when your life sucks. Your family, close friends, and peers can provide the various types of social support you need the most right now. For example, they can give you emotional, tangible, informational, and appraisal support.

No one can survive alone. A problem shared is a problem half-solved. Instead of pushing the people who love you away when you are struggling, draw them closer.

Learn how to be more vulnerable with people and ask for help from your loved ones when you need it without feeling shame or guilt.

  1. Do something that makes you happy

The reason why your life sucks sometimes could be that you have been doing things that don’t excite or interest you. If this is the case, doing more of what makes you happy is one of the best things to do when life sucks.

Make your life less boring by doing things that bring you excitement and joy. For example, your hobbies, spending time with loved ones, doing a job you love, or doing anything else that makes you happy.

  1. Get rid of bad habits

Bad habits such as wasting time, procrastination, laziness, substance abuse, unhealthy eating, perfectionism, overspending, and people-pleasing may be the reasons why your life sucks sometimes. They keep you stuck, preventing you from achieving your goals.

Breaking your bad habits and developing new good ones is one of the best things to do when your life sucks. You will feel much better about yourself and notice a significant improvement in your life when bad habits aren’t hindering your personal and professional growth.

READ ALSO: 10 Ways to Turn Your Life Around at Any Age (20s, 30s, 40s, and Beyond)

  1. Cut off toxic people

While it is good to have friends and family, not everyone deserves to be in your life. Some types of toxic people; for example, pessimists, needy, drama magnets, and users, could be the reasons why your life sucks right now. 

Whether they are your friends, significant other, or family members, cutting toxic people out of your life is one of the best things to do when your life sucks if you want it to change. 

With these characters out of your life, you will save more money, have increased positive energy, get a boost in self-esteem, have an optimistic outlook, and minimize drama in your life.

  1. Take charge of your life

What are your future plans? Are you in full control of what goes on in your life?

Perhaps the reasons why your life sucks right now are that you are a people-pleaser, you are living a fake life, you are living up to someone’s expectations, or you are comparing your life with others’ and finding yours lacking.

One of the best things to do when your life sucks because of people-pleasing tendencies or dissatisfaction is to take back control of your life.

Stop trying to please or live up to other’s expectations of you and start living for yourself.

Instead of competing or comparing yourself with others, set personal goals, put in the effort, mind your own business, and focus on your growth over time. Your life is your own; hence, you should take charge of it, be authentic, and go at your own pace.

READ ALSO: How to Stop Feeling Like You’re Running Out of Time

  1. Let go of things you can’t control or change

The things that make your life suck sometimes may be out of your control, for example, the past, future, illnesses, the weather, the passage of time, or other people’s decisions and opinions

If any of these are the reasons for your current situation, the best thing you can do to make your life suck less is to let them go and focus on what you can control.

For instance, stop worrying about the future because it will happen anyway or stressing about the past; it already happened. Instead of obsessing about the past, forgive yourself for past mistakes, stop holding grudges, and move on with your life.

If your life sucks because you keep getting turned down for jobs, dust yourself off and apply for more, or start your own business.

You can’t control what other people decide. All you can do is try your best and hope things work out.

  1. Keep on putting in the effort

Some people feel like their life sucks because they keep failing after putting in a lot of effort.

But though failure is not a pleasant experience, setbacks and mistakes are important for success. Through them, you learn valuable life lessons, develop resilience, improve your skills, and become more confident.

Instead of giving up when things don’t work out, one of the best things to do when life sucks is to keep putting in the effort and making improvements where necessary. You will eventually succeed.

Giving up doesn’t bring you any closer to achieving your goals. You must take action and trust that things will work out for you in time. And even if they don’t, at least you will know it is not for lack of trying.

READ ALSO: 6 Reasons Why You Should Trust the Process in Life

  1. Seek professional help

Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, as well as physical illnesses and abuse, are among the common reasons why life sucks for some people.

If you have tried to deal with your problems by yourself in vain, consulting a professional is the best thing to do. They can help you get to the root cause of your issues, heal, cope, and stop feeling like life sucks.

Many people often exhibit self-destructive behavior such as suicidal tendencies, self-injury, promiscuity, binge-eating, overindulging in alcohol, and abusing drugs when they think their life sucks. Getting assistance from a professional can help prevent these behaviors.

Final Thoughts

‘My life sucks!’ Life is full of ups and downs. It is, therefore, not surprising that life sucks sometimes for everyone.

If you are struggling with something, remember you are not alone. Even the people whose lives seem perfect also have their struggles.

Now that you know what to do when life sucks, it is up to you to identify the reasons why you are in this situation and take the necessary actions to change and improve your life.

Don’t just keep on complaining about how difficult your life is without doing anything to make your life suck less.

NOTE: If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, please reach out to a friend or family member, seek professional help from a therapist, or call these CRISIS HOTLINES for assistance.


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