As I am writing this I am recovering from a not-so-great last few hours. My day started out fine and then quickly dissolved into a mess of an afternoon (oh, summer classes).

I typically don’t let things get to me. I’m not always good at not letting things get to me, but I try and often I am able to brush things off. Today, though, for whatever reason, was not one of those times I was able to brush it off.

It’s funny how that works sometimes. How a difficult situation can somehow escalate into a difficult day or even week if you let it get to you.

It’s okay to have bad days. It’s okay to sometimes let bad things get the best of you, but only for a moment. After that moment you have to do your best to let go of whatever it is that has caused negativity to seep into your day and move on.

Here’s what I did today to push the bad vibes away - at least for a moment.

Went on a walk.

In my case, this walk was down the hill from school to my car (approximately a 20 minute walk). I could have taken the shuttle instead, but it was a sunny, breezy afternoon and I thought why not? Being outside in the fresh air and moving helped a lot. It also helped me think through what had happened a couple of times and get the over-thinking out of my system - something that is very hard for me to do as a thoughtful and introverted person.

Took inventory of some of the things that I am grateful for.

Today, I am thankful for blue skies and that my car air conditioning works. At first it may seem like there is more good than bad in a bad day, but that’s usually not the case. Taking inventory of the good can quickly drown out the bad. It’s the little things that sometimes make a bad day bearable.

Loved on my dogs.

If I am down, my dogs will inevitably cheer me up. Walking through the door to their enthusiastic greetings and silly shenanigans is always something that instantly brightens my mood. It doesn’t hurt that they always seem to be able to tell when I’m feeling down, either.

Checked in on Facebook.

This may seem like a strange one, given that Facebook (or any social media platform) can be extremely negative in and of itself, but one of the first things I saw on Facebook was a new music video from one of my favorite bands. The upbeat vibe of the video - and the banjo - coaxed a smile onto my face right a way.

Listened to my latest song obsession on repeat.

This week, that has been “We Don’t Talk Anymore” by Charlie Pluth and Selena Gomez. It has a surprisingly upbeat groove to it, and dancing around a bit to a song like this never hurts.

Although it’s sometimes hard to get over a bad day, doing a few small things can help improve what seems so terrible. Even if the day started out badly, trying to do a handful of things that make you happy can at least help the day end better. No matter how bad your day is going, it’s all going to be okay.