How to Pick Yourself Up When Life is Falling Apart and You’re Not Coping Well

From someone who’s been there.

Stephanie St.Claire
8 min readFeb 29, 2020
photo: Kinga Cichewicz

There are times when life is just socking you in the face. I’m talking about the days you’re so overcome with anxiety, grief, and stress it’s hard to even think straight.

I have been there, friend. And so I put this list of coping strategies together in hopes it will help you get through the hours, day, night, few days? when things are really, really bad and you are just trying to crawl up to a basic level of emotional stability. We’re not even talking about long-term solutions or self-work. We’re talking about the immediate right now — the moment you realize you’re 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea deep with grief and anxiety and you need to figure out how to get pants on so you can make it through the grocery store without bursting into tears.

photo: Pexels

Before we get into the strategies, I have a new mantra for you:

Whatever your situation is, YOU are not your circumstances.

Even if the situation is from a mistake or misjudgment you made. Even if the situation has been going on for weeks/months/years. Even if…

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Stephanie St.Claire

Writer. Reader. Lover of the Oxford comma. Writing for Medium since 2013. Find me at stephaniestclaire.com