Don’t you just hate those days?…where nothing seems to go right.
Nothing goes your way and you sink into frustration and despair, wishing you could crawl back
into bed, and just try again tomorrow.
Well don’t feel alone because bad days happen to the best of us.
They can be triggered by the smallest of things, and the rest of your day continues downhill.
You feel low on energy, sad, stressed and worried…and all of these factors drag you
down and kill your productivity.
Well these tough days can only make us stronger and prepare us for the challenges that lie
ahead.
When we lose hope for the future, that’s the real disaster.
While advice isn’t always easy to accept or put into practise when things aren’t
going your way, let’s have a look at few methods to deal with or overcome a bad day.
Accept that it’s okay to have a bad day.
Rather than beating yourself up over the day so far, try to realise that’s it part of
your journey.
You can’t be perfect in an imperfect world, and believing that you can have control over
everything is only going to lead to disappointment.
Also, without having bad days, how are you supposed to recognise and appreciate good
ones?
By acknowledging that you are having a bad day, you can accept it and deal with it as
such, and move forward to tomorrow.
The bad day will pass.
Today will be over, and tomorrow will bring new opportunities.
Sometimes, things have to go wrong before they can go right!
Try putting it into perspective…will this day really matter in a week, a month, or a
year from now?
Remember that every situation is a learning experience.
Try to look at each situation as a lesson learned – both good and bad.
The experience itself will pass, but the lessons you learn from it will last a lifetime.
When encountering a new situation, ask yourself: What can I learn or take away from this experience?
Try to keep in mind that progress is not always easy to see.
Just remember that you are getting stronger – not from only having good days, but because
you’ve made it through the tough ones.
In saying this, pay attention when the bad days really start to pile up – is there
a bigger issue going on that you need to deal with?
Be kind but honest with yourself.
There is a lot to be grateful for.
When things don’t go our way, that tends to be what we focus on, but there is so much
in your life to be grateful for.
By being grateful for what you for all you have in life, you are putting your bad day
into perspective.
Remember that there is always someone worse off than you, and plenty of people in the
world who would love to have your struggles.
Gratitude creates a positive source of energy in your brain, and can help to lift your mood.
There have been neuroimaging studies showing that’s it’s basically impossible to be
in a depressed state and grateful at the same time.
Adopting a healthier lifestyle can have a tremendous impact on your overall mood and
mental state also.
Exercise.
Although you may not feel like, getting moving will stimulate blood flow and a release of
endorphins – the ‘feel good’ hormone.
Exercising can increase your energy levels and help you deal with stress more effectively.
This will also take your mind off the bad day you might be having and help to deal with
all the negative feelings.
Give your mind a rest and work your body instead.
Going for a healthier food option rather than that comfort food of a chocolate bar or bag
of chips can also be extremely effective in lifting your mood.
Easier said than done though, right?
If you have to go for chocolate, try dark chocolate, which has been shown to assist
in treating depression and anxiety by enhancing serotonin and dopamine production in your
brain.
Foods that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, like salmon, almonds, and walnuts will also
boost serotonin levels in your brain, which functions with a ‘feel-good’ effect.
Choosing better carb sources such as brown wholegrain breads instead of white will stave
off that ‘flat’ feeling, as they are more nutritional and have a lower GI.
Foods high in potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6, such as bananas and apples, also boost
the serotonin in the brain to give you that needed boost and lessen your bad mood.
So choose wisely!
Get a good night’s sleep.
One of the most important factors for the health and to recover from a bad day is to
get 8 hours of quality sleep.
This allows the body to rest and recover from the physical effects of stress, and you are
able to start the next day with a fresh perspective.
When you’re lose to going to bed, shut off electronic devices and have the lights dimmed….this
will assist in your body winding down for sleep, and give you a chance to focus on shutting
down your mind from the day.
Sign out of Facebook.
The book of faces and all social media are great at bringing people together, but there
are negative impacts associated with their use as well.
Studies have shown that constantly checking social media can actually trigger depression
as we start to compare our lives to those of our friends, which create feelings of inadequacy.
Keep in mind that most people are only putting their best foot forward and you are comparing
your life to somebody’s highlight reel of what they chose to share publicly.
You can change things up.
Instead of remaining bolted to your work desk when you’re having a bad day, a change of
scenery can help to tell your brain that your current mood doesn’t need to be sustained.
Maybe you can go for a short drive, a walk outside, or just go somewhere different within
your workplace.
If you have to, escape to the toilet cubicle!
They key here is to remove yourself from the current environment, even if only briefly.
Reset realistic expectations of yourself.
Expectations can have a dramatic effect on your mood.
A lot of bad days can kick off when you have unrealistic expectations about what you might
achieve that day, ending in disappointment.
If I’m expecting my boss to give me a Christmas bonus of a thousand dollars, but I end up
getting $400, I’ll be pretty disappointed.
If I realise that I’m already paid well enough to maintain a fortunate lifestyle and
that I’m grateful for what I have in my life…and then my boss gives me a $200 gift
card for noticing my efforts, I’m going to be pretty chuffed with that gesture - It’s
all about perspective.
If your mood is deteriorating because it’s after lunch and you feel like you haven’t
got far today, don’t worry.
Try and write down a few things that you have already done today, no matter how minor, and
then make a short list of achievable goals for the rest of the day…this way, you’re
starting off the new list at say 25% complete already!
While we can’t stop bad things from happening, we can control how we respond to them.
It is common for people to overthink many situations and make their problems seem much
worse than they really are.
Don’t allow your mind to keep you captive!
Also, having a bad day doesn’t mean that you’re having a bad life.
Remember that everyone has bad days, and many people would love to swap for yours…Try
to see past your fears and inadequacies, block out the negative feelings, and be prepared
to tackle new opportunities
and experiences.