Having a Bad Day? Try These 5 Things

Are you having a bad day? Do you want to turn it around? It’s OK to feel down but it’s also OK to want to feel better.

Try these 5 things to feel better and start enjoying your day. You don’t have to stay in that rut if you’ve had enough. Grab your day by the horns and lead the way.

1. Breathe

It’s easy to get wrapped up in your own little world. And it’s frankly comprehensible, it is all you know after all.

Breathing will allow you to recenter and focus.

A few deep breaths, with your eyes closed if that feels right. You can set a timer or just aim for 3 big breaths. The biggest breaths you’ve taken all day, all week, or even all month maybe.

Taking it in slowly and out even slower.

You can couple it with a little gratitude practice. If you want to learn more about starting a gratitude practise, check out my post covering a few easy approaches.

To keep it short here, take a piece of paper and write things or people or events you are thankful for.

It can be as big or as small as you want, from the taste of your morning cup of coffee to your family.

This little exercise will help you feel more grounded.

2. Pamper yourself

If you’re staying at home all day or are always in a hurry to get ready, take time to pamper yourself.

It might sound superficial but sometimes looking better helps you feel better.

Additionally, it reminds yourself and everyone else that you are a priority and you deserve self-care and time.

Have a nice warm shower or even a bath if you can. Have fun choosing your outfit, you don’t need a special occasion to dress the way you like. Dress for yourself, you’re probably the person you see most throughout your day.

Maybe spend a little longer on your hair and make-up if you like to wear any.

3. Clean your home

This activity does wonders even though it sounds like a choir. However, cleaning your space does 3 things for you:

Meditation: it gives your mind something to focus on, no overthinking when you’re busy scrubbing
Accomplishment: It is a satisfying activity, a little project with measurable results than gives a sense of accomplishment
Attraction: it reminds yourself that you deserve a clean and cosy space, you raise your frequencies when you accept a certain quality of life.

Who doesn’t feel more productive in a tidy space? If you’re struggling with things getting messy quickly, check out my method on how to keep your place tidy.

4. Go for a walk

Exercising in general will help you turn around a bad day. But going for a walk without distractions helps you process things, get some fresh air and get your blood pumping.

It’s about getting out of your rut, letting each step guide you closer to a better place.

Not all is fixed after a stroll but it can inspire you and give you a different perspective or new ideas.

It’s a nice way to keep active and stay healthy and probably get better sleep the following night.

5. Make a plan to overcome your “bad day”

Your problems always look bigger in your head than on paper.

If you’re having a bad day, write down why. Ask yourself the following questions:

What is bothering me?
How am I feeling?
Why am I feeling that way?
What don’t I like about my current situation?
What is the worst thing that could happen?

Next to each answer, make a plan to address it. Asking yourself the worst thing that could happen is important to put things into proper perspective.

For example, you might be having a bad day because of your boss. The absolute worst thing that could happen is for you to lose your job. You can find another position elsewhere, people change jobs literally every day. What if it gets even worse and you can’t find another job? You might have to stay with family or friends whilst you look for a new job. If that’s the absolute worst-case scenario, it’s not that bad all things considered. Your health wouldn’t be in danger, you would have food and shelter. And it probably won’t come to that.

Nothing is rarely so terrible that you can’t do anything about it.

Take actions on things you can control and accept the rest.

You can even be proactive, if your boss constantly makes you feel stressed and unqualified, there are many actions you could take to change the situation.

You could have a conversation with them, you could build your skills and become a better employee, you could reach out to HR and see how they can help, you could look for a new job before they get a chance to fire you.

Having a plan of actions decrease the size of your problem from a mountain to a staircase. Each step is the next part of your plan to get on top of things.