Sometimes the guy you were sure was Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Really Wrong. Other times, the dream job you worked so hard for ends abruptly and you find yourself feeling more than a little lost as you freshen up your resume. Or maybe that promotion you were angling for comes with the unexpected condition that you must move to a new city – and you’re faced with leaving your family and friends behind.

Setbacks and obstacles happen to everybody. No matter what the impact – personal, career track or a sudden financial hole you have to dig yourself out of – it is important to be able to dust yourself off and move forward with your life. Learning to cope with a major setback means managing some life skills, and often requires some self care.

Let’s walk through the steps it takes to assess where you are when life knocks you down, and how to rise up with a new purpose firmly in mind. With these tips, you can learn to see setbacks more like life’s minor hiccups rather than a roadblock that threatens to derail you from a brighter future.

Here are a few simple things you should remember when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Try Not to Take it Personally

Sometimes it feels like the world is out to get you. One bad day becomes a rough patch, then maybe spirals into a whole month you’d rather forget. But you need to remind yourself that everyone encounters challenges and obstacles in their personal and professional life. Instead of just blaming yourself for your current setback, consider for a minute that there were likely other factors that had an effect on the current problem. Try to think about the bigger picture. Getting through something - and then getting past it - allows you to move ahead.

Give Yourself Time

When life deals you a tough blow, some people are quick to tell you to just forget about it and move on. Instead, remember that it is OK to take a moment – or a day or two – and give yourself time to process what has happened. This reflection lets you fully grasp your current situation. Taking a little time to think allows you to come to terms with a setback. This helps you rationally sort through your thoughts. Once you’ve done that, you realize that you now have to figure out a solution, and how to proceed from there.

Don’t Panic

For some people, the natural response to a big setback is to panic, or at least feel very anxious. Try not to do this, as it won’t help your situation. Instead, while you are taking time to process what has happened, you need to be in a calm environment. This means it’s time to push to the side other issues that can be distractions - things that are not pressing and can be sidelined while you deal with the problem in front of you. It’s also a perfect time to increase your self-care. Make sure you are eating healthy foods, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep. If you occasionally have trouble relaxing before you fall asleep, Nutrilite™ Sleep Health contains a blend of valerian, hops, and lemon balm, a combination that can help you relax so you can fall asleep.*

Reflect on What You Have Accomplished

A good night’s sleep often puts you in a positive frame of mind so you can see the upside even when your life feels like it has taken a bad turn. During these moments, it can be difficult to remember all the great things in your life. If you are feeling a dip in confidence, take some time to make a mental list of all the things you have accomplished in your life, both personally and professionally. This helps you take a more accurate stock of your position, and will be a mental boost, helping you to recover a bit faster.

Forgive Yourself and Cut Yourself some Slack

When it feels like the world has knocked you down, don’t make matters worse by being hard on yourself and telling yourself you deserved it. Instead of holding tight to your failures, you need to learn to forgive yourself. Once you’ve done this, it will be easier to move on. While you can’t change the past and undo the setback you’ve been dealt, you can handle it by showing yourself a little humanity, and then you can move forward.

Create a New Goal and Move On

Once you are ready to turn the corner mentally and leave your setback behind you, it’s time to reassess your goals. This might mean revisiting an old goal you haven’t yet achieved. Ask yourself if it still fits with your life plan, or do you instead need a short list of new goals to carry you forward? Once you think about what you want to accomplish next, you can better understand what your new goals should be – and make a plan for meeting them.

Coping with a major setback is never an easy time in your life. But once you give yourself time to assess what happened, practice a little stress relief and review your goals, you’ll find that managing your life skills means you’re ready to get back on track and forge ahead toward new accomplishments that wait on the horizon.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.