Turning A Bad Day Around

How often do YOU have a bad day, you’re struggling to rush through your morning routine, and didn’t have time to pull yourself together like normal. You missed the bus by 15 minutes and had to order an uber, you couldn’t buy your morning coffee or muffin because your favorite shop outside work was closed for the day and now you’re running late for a pitch meeting with your executive director.  Now a coworker you don’t really know smiles at you while holding the door for you, mentioning there was a new latte machine in the kitchen accompanied with a box of fresh donuts and fruit and on top of THAT complimented your (last second) outfit and perfectly styled (tousled) hair. While swiping to sign into your building the receptionist smiles and informs that your meeting got pushed back an hour.

Did you feel yourself calm down and relax as you walk to your desk? Did they make your morning better? Are you more likely to talk to that co-worker again?  Are you realizing the day is only as bad as you make it and it can get better? But more importantly did you smile back and thank them. Because that is just as important as them making your morning.  They didn’t know they were helping you out, they were simply being happy and polite.

Think about everything people have done for you that you may have overlooked but it had made your day better, it made you more confident/comfortable in the situation you’re in, or just made you feel good. Now think about how often you actually use manners, hold the door, or compliment someone. You never know what small comment or gesture can do to someone’s day and mood. Although you can’t really control someone’s mood or how they feel but you can affect it.

Ending Our Bad Day, Why It’s Good to Have A Bad Day

Stress, pressure and attitude are big parts of having a bad day but ending a bad day isn’t as hard to end as waiting until the next day. For instance, attaching the word angry to your feelings makes you less angry, and a short refection of the negative emotion to target where its from can increase your positivity.

You should start by reflecting on the negative feeling you have and label it, using One-Three words (i.e. frustration with clients, annoyance from home, lack of sleep). Once labeled don’t think about the events or feelings, just use your mantra and try to move on with your day. Then we can re-evaluate the situation or events that lead to the emotion you’re feeling, figure out why and what could have gone worse or better (depending on how you cope with that emotion). See what you can learn from the situation and remember what happened this morning doesn’t have to define this afternoon. Ending your bad day can be easy if you remember the little things throughout the day you love, like your favorite mug you use for the coffee machine, the flower shop you walk by on the way home. And finally smiling, whether you want to or not, smiling releases dopamine in the brain which makes you happier. These things effect your mood whether you realize it or not and have a strong impact on you and how you act for the rest of the day.

The average person has about 60 bad days a year, that’s roughly six percent of your year, in your adult life (18-60), 25.2% of days are bad days. But these days are some of the most important simply because they influence us to be better, work harder, give us experience, and open up new perspectives. Now that doesn’t mean they’re fun and unhealthy habits aren’t associated with bad days, 50% eat extremely unhealthily the day of and the days following and 34% are more likely to drink the day of. These methods aren’t a bad thing to unwind and relax on bad days but make you unhappier and more stressed in the long run. But you have plenty of time to learn to cope with these bad days to make the day better.

• Being in a bad mood can help you think clearly, being grouchy makes you a quick decision maker and less easily fooled, thinking on your feet without thinking as hard about the decision.
• Getting a promotion can negatively affect your mental health by 10%
• Stress is a natural and healthy way to boost your immune system. Your body produces cortisol and in small amounts can have a lot of benefits on your body
• Getting dumped or plans falling through can help you lose weight, I know CRAZY right? Relationships are full fat-traps, although you pull out the wine, ice cream, and the breakup playlist you made. After that short morning period you can lose the weight you gained from being in the relationship. 46% of married woman gained 20 pounds after marrying, while single people tend to exercise more

For many exercising is a huge coping mechanism, 46% of people claim it is a great stress reliever and 95% say it makes them feel better after a bad day, not only better but more motivated, energetic, and clear-minded.  Making a detailed planner or bullet journal can help decrease stress and help you learn what your ideal day includes. Time Management, Lists & Tasks, Quotes, Habits, and Important dates & times can all be included in these types of planners; this is a healthy way to understand and manage your stress