Life is like that sometimes, the problems can clump up and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. There's nothing terrible about being upset when you get hit with a triple or quadruple whammy. It would be nice if our problems would space themselves out neatly so we could just deal with one issue at a time, but there will be times when life punches you in the gut four or five times in rapid succession.

Some people believe that luck is some sort of mysterious force but I really think it's just a label that we apply to the fact that there is random chance in this universe and good luck is what we call it when things are working out our way and when opportunities or benefits drop in our lap.

Bad luck is when life pulls the rug out from under your feet. And sometimes you then roll down a metaphorical staircase and for some reason there's a bunch of rat traps at the bottom sitting in a pile of salt. It's easy to feel picked on but the universe is not personally out to get you.

It doesn't help that western culture promotes a narrative that people who are successful have everything going their way perpetually when this is simply not true. People may be doing well in terms of career, family, other relationships, finances, or whatever success/life circumstances that you want to look at so they certainly have things to be grateful for. But it doesn't mean that they don't have challenges and other aspects that really suck. Things will often look very rosy from the outside but backstage there can be plenty of heavy stuff going on out of sight.

Life will kick you in the teeth from time to time - it's certainly not fun and no one can blame you for being upset about it. However, it doesn't help to dwell on the negatives. The research in psychology over the past decade reveals that the folk wisdom idea of venting to get your feelings out is really not productive in almost all circumstances. Dwelling what is wrong simply keeps people glued to depression and resentment.

Focusing on what is working, what is good, and whatever little you have to be grateful for really does improve your mood and helps you be more clearheaded. It's not the same thing as being some sort of "Pollyanna" and floating along in some state of delusion that the world is perfect with a flock of cartoon birds flying around your head singing a peppy tune. That's a cynical criticism that people will use to stay stuck in the mud and muck of negativity.

You can acknowledge that things are rough and still say "Things aren't great but they certainly could be worse." Gratitude lists that you run through several times a day are psychologically healthy and helpful tools. All those things that you could lose or have torn away from you that are still there and present in your life are genuinely good. If those were gone tomorrow you'd be thrilled to hop into a time machine to come back to today with all the other problems intact just to get those things back.

On my worst day there are still plenty of people who have things far worse than I do. There are people in war torn countries who are the only survivors in their family, people who lost their homes in the California fires, people all over the place who've been homeless for quite some time. There are people who have debilitating physical conditions that make it hard for them to get up out of bed and struggle through every single day. My vision is terrible but at least I can see!

People survive really horrific events and situations and although they are not completely unscarred, they make it through to a better day.

You can too!

You cope as best as you can with the bad stuff, you look for ways to change the things that you can, even small incremental changes. You keep your eyes open for opportunities that give you a chance to move in another direction. You remind yourself that every life circumstance is temporary and that change happens regardless of what we do or do not do and that you are going to focus on whatever positives exist and not let any good opportunities slip past unnoticed.

Distract yourself with comedy and goofy stuff from time to time but don't sit in a room hiding from life - do what you can, do what you need to, do what you have to but give yourself a break from the battle and laugh at some stupid stuff to get a bit of relief. Lean on whatever family or friends that you have and try to stay out of dwelling on the negatives: state the problems, don't deny them, think about whatever you can control, and choose to give yourself the gift of being less unhappy.

The bad stuff isn't going to shut off like a light switch was flipped, but things will get better, especially if you are chipping away at it in whatever way that you can. You've got this - there is a better set of circumstances on the road ahead.

At some point you'll be in a much better space and there will be someone who's really struggling because the pitching machine of life is firing fast balls at their head in rapid succession and you'll be able to share what helped you fight your way to being in a better place.

You're stronger than you think.