5 Keys To Improving A Bad Day
Who hasn’t had a bad day? One of those where upon waking up everything seems to conspire against us. The shower gel is finished, the breakfast is on fire. We go out and it starts to rain unexpectedly. Others look at us like we have done something wrong. We say something and they understand the opposite. And everything, absolutely everything, goes wrong …
A bad day also happens when we have something important to do and everything goes wrong. It can be a very important work activity for us. We have prepared it with care and in the end the results are disappointing. Or a meeting with someone special that is canceled when we have already prepared everything.
No one is immune from a bad day. The truth is, we don’t have to just go with it and do nothing. There is always something we can do to make a bad day better and save those nightmarish days. It is after all a day of life. And while there is life, there are also ways to fix what is wrong.
1. A break to improve a bad day
Stressful situations sometimes take over. It starts with a gene, continues with growing concern and when we least think about it we’re already a little nervous and ready to explode. If we stop stress in time, our bad day will get better.
Let’s take a short break whenever we are faced with situations that stress us out . And if we can, a longer break. Let’s take the opportunity to breathe, to listen to music or to read something that we like. Or just take a short walk. It will help us reduce stress and think more clearly.
2. Refuse to make self-prophesies
That a day starts badly does not mean that it will continue in the same way. A bad time doesn’t mean the start of a bad patch either. However, we tend to consider that a bad time is only a harbinger of the worst.
Therefore, without even realizing it we begin to fulfill negative self- prophecies . We start by saying that we would have done better not to get out of bed. Or that we have bad luck, sentences like this. And without realizing it we are implementing these mental predictions.
The secret is to change the center of attention from negative to positive or, at least, to find possible alternatives. Looking for solutions will help us make a better day, instead of sitting around and bemoaning it.
3. Change our body chemistry
Bad mood and stress cause chemical changes in the body. Especially in the brain. Some hormones are activated while others are inhibited. We won’t come out of this state by magic. So something needs to be done to change this chemistry.
One way to do this is to get some exercise. It can be a brisk walk or a routine activity. It can also be dancing. Displacement helps us recover that chemical balance that we have lost. Another option is to assimilate healthy foods. Especially fresh fruits or vegetables. The secret is to get moving.
4. Focus on the constructive
We can always learn from whatever happens to us. We just need to adopt the right attitude. We just need to open our minds and ask ourselves if there is any lesson to be learned from what has happened to us.
It is also important to think positively. Think, for example, of those days when everything is going well for us. Let’s bring pleasant memories to our mind. Let’s take a close look and appreciate the positive things around us. Let’s be thankful for all of this.
5. Do more
A bad day is also a great opportunity to demand more of ourselves. Yes: demand more. If we’re doing half an hour of exercise a day, let’s do one hour. If we do our job well in normal times, do it even better. Let’s put more time and effort into it. We can also do something special for someone we haven’t paid attention to.
Sitting in a chair and stopping our activities is not an option. Neither is denying our discomfort. On the contrary: it is advisable to channel this discomfort through an additional effort. This will definitely make us feel better about ourselves. We may find that our mood will improve markedly.
Let us remember that no matter what, a bad day also ends. The sun will rise again tomorrow. If we have been able to cope with the circumstances, tomorrow will be much nicer than today. It is only up to us that this is so.