So You Had A Bad Day

I had a bad day today.

It wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best. I woke up on the “wrong side of the bed”, as people like to say.

I overslept my alarm… by like an hour. I stubbed my toe immediately after I got up out of bed, and Youkilis had an accident in the hall. It was just one of those days where everything that could go wrong, did. But you know what they say, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. And let me tell you, I was feeling sour as hell. But, I decided to take a page from the “glass half full” book and try to turn the day around.

We all have days when we’re not happy. Even the happiest of people have moments/days/weeks when they are upset, or mad, or just feel… blah.

That’s what makes you human.

I’m going to be honest: some days just suck. But sometimes… sometimes we can turn them around.

Let me repeat that: sometimes we can turn them around. It takes a little effort on our end, but it’s possible.

When I’m feeling off, there are. a few things I do that help me turn my crappy days around. Sometimes just one of these helps, sometimes it takes the full force of all of them. But, generally, they help boost my mood quickly.

1. My first tactic is to make a to-do list. Maybe I’m just ignoring and not processing, and maybe that’s not the healthiest, but I find that focusing my efforts on my day and what I can do seems to help most of the time. Being productive instantly puts me in a better mood.
2. If that doesn’t help, I make a gratitude list. Usually, I just run through it in my head, but it might be helpful to you to physically write it out. Or, maybe you already have it written out and you can reference it when you need it. Regardless, despite a rough start to the day, I remind myself that I still have a roof over my head, food to eat, and loved ones to call. And that’s when it hit me, life’s little hiccups are just that – little.
3. Fake it ’til you make it. This is one that I kind of do right away too, without knowing it I think. Again, I just focus on the good and essentially ignore the bad. If I fake that I’m in a good mood and everything is going right, most of the time it starts actually happening.
4. If I can’t fake my way to a better mood, then I vent. Sometimes a good vent session makes all the difference. Mostly, I make sure to surround myself with people who make me laugh and remind me that life’s too short to be spent in a bad mood. I tell them about all of the things that have gone wrong and, usually, it makes me laugh (especially with the right people). That alone turns my day around.
5. My last reinforcement is movement! I have a dance party in the kitchen with my toddler, or wrestle with my pups, or go out to the gym to pump some iron. Or, at the very least, I go outside for a walk. Nothing like a good endorphin rush to chase away the blues. It doesn’t have to be much, but those moments of movement remind me how healthy I am… and silly, and strong, and confident, and positive, and so on…

If you’re having one of those days where the universe seems to be conspiring against us, don’t worry, you’re not alone. But, it’s all about perspective. Trust me, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can go from “blah” to “ta-da!” and turn that bad day into a great one!