How To Overcome A Bad Day

It’s always the day when we are already late to work that we promised ourselves the night before to get gas in the morning before work. When a simple inconvenience feels like a big catastrophe. Even receiving bad news from family, work, or on the news can feel like our world is ending in one second. However, there is always a way to overcome a bad day.

Change your perspective. Usually, a day turns out bad when we already wake up in a bad mood. If you find yourself getting irritated at small inconveniences, then it’s a game changer when you stop and acknowledge how you are handling these situations. Someone is more likely to question their choices when another person calls them out on it. Do the same for yourself. Call yourself out when you are being an “Irritable Ivette.” Then, ask yourself, is it really a big deal? This takes a lot of emotional maturity to turn course when you’re already headed down a rocky path. Nevertheless, if you find it hard to turn course, give yourself a moment to sink in the acknowledgment of your feelings and guide yourself into how you can react in a different way.

Take a deep breath. When we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, the most important thing to do next before exploding with emotions is to calm ourselves down. This can be done by taking deep breaths or counting to ten. Do this as many times as you need to avoid doing or saying something you will later regret. To do this requires a significant amount of self-awareness; as this requires you to pay attention to your usual habits and actively try to redirect them. While you build up this ability to tune in to your inner sensations, you can take note of your triggers so you can better soothe yourself.

Avoid overstimulation. Keeping a steady pace while having a hard time can help us remain in control of ourselves. During a bad day, we probably have too much on our plate that we can’t handle at the moment. It’s best to cancel that plan or reschedule that meeting if at all possible. Channeling our energy into the most efficient way is to ensure our utmost success in our tasks. Maintaining our mental strength throughout our day can look like keeping small talk short, avoiding complainers/venters, declining non-essential invites or favors, etc. The goal here is to keep our to-do lists as minimal as we can to keep ourselves intact.

One minute of progress. Sometimes it’s hard to get through a bad day and we would rather do nothing. If that isn’t an option, then take it one minute at a time. Instead of rushing and frustrating ourselves, take each minute collecting your thoughts and targeting them to a more productive light instead of wallowing in the negative thoughts. For example, if you’re overwhelmed by a long list of tasks, pick just one small task to focus on for the next minute. Breaking your day into these manageable chunks can help you gain a sense of accomplishment and keep you moving forward, even if progress feels slow.

Conclusion

Bad days are an inevitable part of life, but how we choose to respond to them can make all the difference. By changing our perspective, taking deep breaths, avoiding overstimulation, and focusing on minute-by-minute progress, we can navigate through the rough patches with more resilience and grace. Remember, it’s okay to have bad days. What matters most is not letting them define us or derail our overall well-being.

Ultimately, overcoming a bad day is about self-awareness and self-compassion. Recognize when you’re struggling and give yourself the grace to pause and reset. Each moment is an opportunity to choose a better path, to shift your mindset, and to take small steps towards a brighter outlook. By practicing these strategies, you’ll build a stronger foundation to weather any storm that comes your way.

Love,

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