Sadly today was one of those days where everything just seemed to go wrong. You know the kind of day. No matter what you do, or how hard you try, things just don’t turn out.
You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, don’t have time for your usual cup of coffee, the kids are crying and whining about something and you can’t stop worrying about everything.
In my experience when you are having one of those days you have two choices. Get angry and make things worse, or be like Elsa from Frozen and “let it go”. Although sometimes I sit in the angry camp for longer than I should, I eventually just succumb to the bad day.
How can you let it go and get yourself out of the angry phase during a bad day? Here are my tips!
1. Ditch the tight clothes and go soft mode!
Do not make your day even worse by suffering in tight jeans or uncomfortable underwire.
Change your physical state to go soft mode with your favorite buttery leggings and hoodie.
When you give your body physical comfort signals it tells your nervous system that you are safe and your shoulders will drop a few inches.
2. Step outside and look at something big.
When we are stressed, our vision and world physically narrow. Stepping outside for just three minutes can expand your physical field of view, and shift your brain out of fight-or-flight mode.
3. Forget about getting things done, and just say okay to surviving.
Cross everything off your to-do list that isn’t absolutely essential. If you attempt it today then you will most likely do something wrong and reset angry mode.
On bad days your only job is to keep yourself and your family alive and fed. Lowering the bar removes the pressure!
4. Play a nostalgia song.
Music from our past has a direct pathway to our mood regulation. The comfort of the familiar will help! And I find that music in general is just a great way to lower stress and make happy feelings surface.
5. Drink a large glass of water.
Any time Adam says he has a headache I ask him how much water he drank during the day. He gets annoyed, but I can’t help it. My mom engrained it in me from a young age.
Dehydration causes fatigue, irritability and headaches. Which all lead to a bad day. Taking a pause to drink a big glass of water can only help!
6. Give a hug, get a hug.
Find your partner, child or a pet nearby and ask for a long hug. Studies show that holding a hug for twenty seconds releases oxytocin (the cuddle hormone) and lowers cortisol (the stress hormone.)
7. Find one small thing that makes you happy.
Look for a flower that is blooming, or a happy little dog on a walk and take a mental note that it makes you feel good inside. Anything will do, as long as it brings a smile to your face. That smile will spread and make your bad day feel a little better.
Today, my bad day was helped by bringing the dogs to pick-up Owen at school. I took a picture while it looked like Marco was driving, and that was enough to make me smile.
Find your small thing, and focus on the happy feeling it provides.
8. Call it like it is.
Not every day is a good one. And that is okay. You have to accept that not every day is going to go your way. Go to bed early, close your eyes and let the bad day go.
When the chaos of life takes over and ruins your day, just remember that’s normal. Not every day can be a winner. Hopefully these tips will at least help you get through it. Just take it one hour at a time.
What actions do you take on a bad day? Add it in the comments below.
