It can feel like nothing is right in your life when you are experiencing a bad day. Awful things can quickly pile up — your work may be stressful, your home may be messy, and the people in your life are just so aggravating. When you feel yourself in the midst of one of these negative days, it’s important to take charge and switch things up so you can get yourself on a more positive track. I’d love to hear how you do that in the comments below. Here are a few ways to get you started!
1. Give yourself the gift of an hour—– Hard to believe but things can shift to a much better place in just an hour… especially when you use that hour to step away from your bad day so that things get a chance to change. I know that most of you are thinking that you don’t have an hour to spare, but how can you afford to spend 24 hours in a bad mood? Some things that you can do during that hour to make your day better include taking a lunch break instead of working through it, meeting your friend for a coffee break, take a yoga class, or sit outside and breathe in fresh air and maybe even some sunshine!
2. Practice gratitude—- Bring your focus to the things in your life that are good and remember to say thanks for them. Say it loud, say it in your head, or say it on paper. Doesn’t matter which way you choose because you will feel better knowing that there are things that are still going right in your life. Don’t worry if the only thing you are grateful for at the time is the clothes you are wearing or the cup of coffee you had in the morning. It doesn’t have to be anything really serious or deep, it’s important to appreciate the everyday, little things too!
3. Feel your feelings — sometimes the only thing you can do is just let yourself feel the feelings that are bringing you down and then send them on their way! Whether it is anger, loneliness, frustration, or any other negative feeling, be kind to yourself, and know that this is what you are feeling in this moment and that it is isn’t going to last forever. After all, if you ignore what you are feeling, it will probably end up coming up at another time so might as well sit with it now!
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Take care!
While I have always enjoyed being out doors I have just recently realized how powerful it can be. doesn’t matter if just sitting on a park bench or taking a major hike. I’m so looking at nature and being outside these days as it really does help it helps me calm down during a “bad day” . Great Post!
Thank you Kendra…. sometimes I do something simple like take 3 deep breaths of fresh air when I am walking from my car to the house. It is a reminder to be grateful and appreciate the fresh air.
I agree with Kendra- getting outside is really helpful for me. But I often work through my lunch break or eat in my office, and don’t get outside except for the walk to and from my car. I think it’s time to recommit to my “must leave the building” rule.
My initial reaction was that I don’t have an hour in my day that’s not already consumed with something else. But when you broken it down into simple little things, I realized that I can totally do one of those!
Hi Hannah! Our first reaction is usually that we can’t spare the time — but who want’s to lose a whole day to a bad mood??
These are great suggestions for changing course to a better feeling day. I always know that I can probably re-center myself by doing a few things that work well for me. The trick is actually doing them! It seems counter-intuitive to step away from the stuff that needs to get done but that’s really what seems to get my head straight the quickest. The things I like to do are take the dog outside for a walk, go for a run through the neighborhood or take a yoga class. All of these things have a similar effect on me – more peace. By creating space in my day to detach from all the busy work, my life slows down just long enough for me to appreciate the beauty of the present moment.