How to Bounce Back When You’ve Gone Off Track

You may have started the year off with lofty goals and dreams for the new year ahead. No matter how enthusiastic we are on January 1st, things often don’t work out quite as planned when it comes to resolutions. That’s to be expected and totally okay! I want to share with you some ways to help you bounce back, instead of ditching your plan altogether.

1. Allow yourself to process your emotions.

If you feel like you’ve let yourself or others down, give yourself some time to really process how you’re feeling. If you’re angry, sad, or frustrated, allow yourself to feel those emotions and try to understand precisely what is causing you to feel this way. Take time to think about why you might be feeling so upset with yourself. Write your feelings in a journal or self-reflect in whatever way works for you. Have you made these mistakes time and time again, or have you felt disappointed in somebody else for making a similar mistake? There might be an underlying reason for your emotions, and they’re worth digging into.

2. Talk to someone about how you’re feeling.

Call a friend or a loved one and tell them your situation and how you’re feeling. This can be extremely therapeutic and can often leave you feeling like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. We all make mistakes. A loved one can remind you of this and help you realize that the situation is probably not as bad or as permanent as you may think it is. Even if they don’t offer any advice, it can be helpful just to tell someone what’s going on.

3. Don’t allow this situation to define you.

We really are our own harshest critics. Nobody is perfect. Do not let your mistakes define who you are. Try to be kinder to yourself while you process your emotions and try not to speak negatively about yourself as a person. While you might be searching for forgiveness from others, try to work on forgiving yourself as well.

4. Learn from your mistakes.

The best thing you can do from any negative situation is to take a lesson from it. Learn what went wrong and try to understand why you did (or didn’t do) something. This way, the same mistake doesn’t have to happen again and leaves you feeling so disappointed in yourself. If you learned something from it, then the situation is not all bad.

5. Allow this situation to make you a stronger and better person.

If you can learn from your slips, you can grow as a person. Often the most difficult and challenging times are the ones that shape us and help us improve. It doesn’t matter whether you are disappointed in yourself because of finances, relationships, work, or failing at personal goals— if you can find a way to improve, you will come out better. Your situation might even help you see the world differently. Perhaps you can learn to become more compassionate or forgiving of other people in your life who make mistakes.

All of that to say, there’s still plenty of time to reach your goals for this year. If you slip off track, take a deep breath, forgive yourself, and re-adjust.