Some days, simply don’t go to plan. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, your kids won’t eat their breakfast, you haven’t been paid on time, you get an email from your boss that triggers your anxiety, or you just can’t get into a productive flow.
It feels like a lost cause as the world conspires against you.
How can you turn things around? What can you do to feel good when you feel so bad?
Thankfully, your present state is never permanent so there’s a lot you can do to get back on the good foot, whenever you’re having a bad day. Try any one, or any combination, of these simple tools:
1. Breathe
Your breath is the gateway to a healthy state of mind and body. Find a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Just sit in peace, breathing slowly and deeply, until you feel a sense of calm.
2. Create space
Create some space between you and the thing(s) that are upsetting you. Go for a walk, sit in the park, read a book, find a nice coffee shop to do your work. Time, space and fresh surroundings alter your feelings about a thing and improve your overall state of mind.
3. Journal
Open your journal and let your thoughts flow. What’s going on? What are you feeling? Get out whatever needs to come out and don’t be afraid to explore if something deeper has been lingering that you’ve not been addressing. Is there is a genuine issue here that needs to be addressed, or is it just your perspective that needs to change?
4. Get active
Feelings follow form so move your body. Slow at first, then increase the intensity and range of motion. Move through different postures and positions, get the blood flowing, stretch, skip, lift, dance, run. Whatever makes you feel good and puts you into a more dynamic state.
5. Nourish yourself
Dehydration and low blood sugar levels can make us feel lethargic, unmotivated and quite depressed. Get some high-quality food and water into your system to provide essential nutrients, stabilise your blood sugar and boost your natural energy.
6. Get to the core of the issue
Problems that linger on can make us feel bad for months. We feel bad because the problem is always there and worse still because we’ve not done anything about it. What’s causing you to feel bad? What’s at the root of the problem? Get to the core of the issue and if it’s too big to fix in one stroke, break it down into manageable steps.
7. Go for a quick win
Is there something easy that you can do right now? Finding a simple task and getting a quick win can really help to shift the course of the day. It gives you energy and momentum to tackle the next thing, and the next thing.
8. Talk to someone you love
We’ve all got that someone who makes us laugh, lifts our mood and changes our perspective. It might be a co-worker, an old friend or a family member. Give them a call and just talk for a while. They might not be able to solve your problem, but they’ll make you feel better about life.
9. Focus on the positive
What’s good right now? What are you grateful for? Focus on all those things that are positive and in your favour. Reflect on great memories from your past. Allow yourself to sit in this space for a while and enjoy the positive energy.
Some days, just won’t be that great. And that’s ok. If you can accept it, be with it, you’ll free yourself from unnecessary judgement and criticism. You don’t have to be ‘on’ all the time.
What matters, when you’re having a bad day, is that you find calm amongst the chaos. You don’t want to implode and end up in a rut that lasts weeks, so create space for yourself, practice self-care and build yourself back up.
You’re going to be fine.