A Monday morning alarm clock trumpets through your ears as you reach across your pillow to hit snooze for the third time. 20 minutes later, a fifth alarm jolts you awake, prompting an Olympic-worthy race against time to get ready for the day. You drive halfway to work before you realize that you forgot an important document on the kitchen counter and manage to spill coffee on your white shirt after someone cuts you off in traffic. With a deep sigh, you think to yourself, "Today cannot get any worse," and then, of course, it does.
Bad days happen to everyone and can leave us feeling like we're being followed by a dark cloud that only seems to rain on our head and cast rays of sunshine on everyone else. Unfortunately, once you decide that you are going to have a bad day, you probably will. Telling yourself that today is going to suck will sabotage the remainder of your day because you have unknowingly invited that dark cloud into your head. Little things that go wrong, like a stained shirt or a bad grade, seem detrimental as they begin to stack up and can send moods nose-diving into a pool of negativity. It's difficult to correct a "bad day" when you feel like nothing will go right, but it is possible by taking steps to counteract a sour mood.
1. Breathe.
It sounds simple -- inhaling and exhaling -- you've been a professional at it since birth, but, closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths may do more for your mood than you think. When you're having a bad day, you may have a tendency to overreact to all the small things (cue Blink-182). Deep breathing in a moment of distress can help reduce your emotional reaction to a situation by giving your moods time to level and put "the small things" back into context.
2. Mindless Happiness.
Take some time to be alone with yourself and get lost in a relaxing activity that allows your brain and emotions to rest. Light some of your favorite candles, put on your favorite comfy clothes and look up a yoga tutorial or two online. Kick back and block out the world with headphones and a playlist of your favorite songs (be sure to sing them as loud as you please). Shoot some baskets or slip on your tennis shoes and go for a run until you've stomped (or panted) your problems away.
3. Vent It Out.
Understand that it's OK to have a bad day and talking about it is nothing to be ashamed of. Call up a friend and vent about the jerk that cut you off on the highway, or the Starbucks you spilled on your shirt. If you're not much of a talker, write it all down. Regardless of how you do it, purging the bad thoughts from your head can stop them from affecting the rest of your day and make you feel lighter.
4. Reflect.
After addressing your stressors, work on replacing them with thoughts of gratitude. It might be difficult, but it does help. If you're feeling extra adventurous, try listing off a few things you're grateful for out loud, such as football or leggings (yes they are pants). I won't annoy anyone by saying "there's always someone who has it worse," but taking the time to appreciate a few positive aspects in your life will help push negative thoughts further away.
I know these steps can be difficult to follow when all you feel like doing is rolling your eyes at anyone who breathes, but remember that everyone has bad days, and it's up to you to turn it around by doing things that make you happy.
