Do you feel like you just got up on the wrong side of the bed today? Are you thinking that there’s nothing you can do about it and that the rest of the day is going to be unpleasant as well? It’s hard to find peace when you feel this way.
Don’t beat yourself up though, some days are like that. But take heart! Luckily, there are things you can do to turn your bad day around!
Try these strategies to transform your day:
Decide what it would take to have a good day. Once you realize that you’re having a bad day, take a time out. Think for a few minutes what specifically made you feel like that, then flip it. Maybe it was the fact that it was cold and gloomy outside. If so, flip the thought to be something like cold and gloomy days will pass, and I will be able to appreciate the beauty of a nice day all the more. Sometimes it’s hard to flip a thought, but this is the most important part of turning what looks like a bad day to a good one.
Now that you’ve thought it over, found out what was triggering your day, and you’ve flipped it, you’re ready to transform it. Sometimes it helps to make a list of what needs to happen over the course of the remainder of the day for you to consider it to be a good day.
- What do you need to accomplish today? It can be anything – at work, out and about, or around the house? Would it be a good day if you met a friend for dinner? What if you just finished your report at work and hit the gym?
- Set some criteria for making your bad day a good day and make it happen. Here’s a gentle warning – don’t make this conditional. Sometimes the criteria doesn’t work out the way we expect it. When that happens we need to go with the flow and find the good along the way. You may need to do an extra “flip it” if you’re not finding the positives in the situation.
- Spend some time in meditation or prayer. Connect with your Creator. Ask for guidance and take time to listen. Let you mind clear, open up, and receive what you need to hear. You may want to write it down or journal any ideas or messages that come to you.
- Focus on yourself for thirty minutes. Give yourself your full attention for thirty minutes. You could go for a walk, read a book, watch the birds, or whatever else will allow you to catch your breath and reset. Forget your worries for just half an hour and do something that you enjoy.
- Take a shower. A shower can change everything. The hot water hitting your skin has a way of resetting your brain and your perspective. A cold shower will certainly snap you out of a bad day. Ten minutes in a hot or cold shower can do wonders.
- Take a nap if you need one. There are days that can only be helped by a nap. Shut the door and give yourself a short twenty minute nap. Of course, you’re free to take a longer nap if you have time.
- List the things that make you feel grateful. A bad day leads you to focus on everything that seems to be working against you. Expressing a little gratitude will put your attention on everything that is right in your life. List at least five things that make you feel grateful.
- Move around / Exercise. Moving, deep breathing, and sweating out the toxins create a change in your biochemistry and reduce the negative energy in your body. It also gets the endorphins (feel good hormones) flowing which naturally help turn your mood around.
- Do something nice for someone. Maybe you’ll feel better about your day if you do something for someone else. Take your attention off yourself and your day and focus on another person for a few minutes. Your kindness will help you feel better, as well as the person you’re being kind to. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, even just a quick visit to a shut in, or a little gift for a friend who is struggling can make a big difference.
- Ask for a hug. Most people are happy to give a hug if you just ask for one – even in these ultra sanitized times. There are some days that just require a hug. Hug your pet if you don’t have a human option (but maybe not your fish).
Just because your day started out one way doesn’t mean that it has to end that way. Test our a few of these ideas and let us know how things work out. We’d love to hear from you and you may be surprised how well the day went.
Find your purpose – find your joy!
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Did you find a few more ideas of your own? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and as always please reach out with your thoughts.
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