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No matter how much we may try to avoid them, bad days happen. Every now and then, in one way or another, shit happens. Shit that can just ruin your mood or throw your whole day off. Perhaps you didn't hear your alarm, or you woke up super later. Maybe you heard or saw something somewhere that pissed you off or made you sad, and it was enough to ruin your mood for the day. Perhaps you got into an argument with your significant other or your best friend. Or you're highly disappointed because your plans for the day got canceled. Maybe you spilled your coffee or dropped your lunch. Perhaps you woke up feeling a little under the weather, and you're physically not feeling great, leading to you not feeling great mentally. Maybe you simply have PMS, and there is no other reason why you're grumpy, and you're grumpy that you're grumpy. Perhaps you have no clue why you feel like crying and/or going on an all caps rage. Whatever the reason you're having a bad day, it happens to the best of us.
It's okay to have a bad day. As a matter of fact, it's okay to have a bad day, even if it's over something petty. I get it, life can be a huge asshole sometimes. Some days, the little things just get to you, especially if you're already dealing with a lot. Sometimes things pop up and ruin your day, and regardless of whether it's something big or small, what you're feeling is valid. But on that note, you don't have to keep feeling this way. If you can help it, you shouldn't let a bad day ruin your entire week. Honestly, you shouldn't even let small things ruin your whole day if you can help it. I know that not everything can be solved instantly, or even within 24 hours, sometimes not even a week or month. But if you're simply having a shitty day, there are a few ways you can turn it around, or at least prevent tomorrow and the rest of your week from sucking.
Make sure the basics are covered!
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First thing's first, make sure that you have the basics covered, and that you're taking care of yourself. Not only will allowing yourself to slip into bad habits cause you to feel even worse, but you could be feeling crappy because you're not keeping your habits in check. I don't even know how many times I was in a terrible mood and could not figure out why, until I realized that I had been neglecting my basic needs and wasn't taking the best care of myself. I'd recognize that I haven't gotten much sleep, haven't had a proper meal, haven't had enough water, haven't exercised, or that I really needed a shower, and I'd often feel better after taking care of what seems like the most basic of things. Seriously, if you're having a bad day and you can't quite figure out the reason, try going over the basics. You never know, it could be something relatively easy to fix. Here are some of the basics that I like to go over when I'm not feeling my best...
If you find that you've fallen a little behind on taking care of any of your basic needs, don't feel guilty, it happens to the best of us. Life happens sometimes, and it can be easy to forget some of the basics from time to time. Just be sure you attend to your needs as soon as possible.
Keep it going
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As tempting as it may be to just curl up on the couch and avoid everything after your day starts to go south, it's better to try to keep your day going and stick to your daily routine as much as possible. If you find yourself getting out of your routine or you're stressing because your routine got majorly delayed or interrupted, try to find a place where you can pick it back up. At the very least, make sure that you're taking care of the most necessary parts of your routine and that you keep taking care of yourself, and that you don't get too off track from your routine. Surely, you can go easy on yourself if you're not feeling your best, just make sure that you keep the basics covered and that you don't allow bad habits to develop. Stick to your sleep schedule. Make sure you're eating and being mindful of what you're eating. Keep your body moving, even if all you're feeling up for is a quick walk or a stretching routine. Try your best to be productive, but also don't forget to rest. I know it's easier said than done, but seriously, try to keep going and make the day tolerable.
Release your emotions in a healthy way
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As unpleasant as it can be to face negative emotions, ignoring them and bottling them up is not going to make them go away. As a matter of fact, trying to ignore them usually only makes them worse. I don't even know how many times I've tried to bottle things up and allowed the negativity to fester until I ended up losing my shit, and I go on an all caps rage over the slightest annoyance. That being said, if you're feeling sad, anxious, angry, or you're just not feeling great emotionally, let it out. Seriously, let it out. You're not doing yourself any favors by trying to hold it in or push it back, so find a positive and healthy way to let your emotions out. I personally have quite a few ways that I like to release any negative emotions that I may be feeling...
Indulge in something that you enjoy
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Every once in a while, it's good to treat yourself a little bit, or perhaps a lot a bit. When you're having a bad day, or you're not feeling great emotionally, allowing yourself a little bit of a treat can be the perfect pick-me-up. Sometimes even the smallest thing can make a big difference. So if you're feeling a bit down in the dumps, take a moment to indulge in something that you enjoy, even if it's something small. Watch a few episodes of your favorite show, read your favorite book, have a cup of tea, take a relaxing bath, paint your nails, just take a moment to practice a little bit of self-love. It might not fix everything, but it can certainly give you a little bit of a mood boost to get you through the day.
Remind yourself that better days are ahead
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As I said before, bad days happen to all of us. We have all had some shitty days in our lives, and we'll almost surely have more shitty days in our lives. It's just a fact of life that not every day is going to be a good day. Some days are going to suck. Some days are going to suck far more than others, but remember, you've gotten through some crappy days in the past, and you'll get through future bad days. And try to think of it this way, just as you're almost certain to have bad days, you're almost surely going to have good days too. More than likely, you have some great days lying ahead. Perhaps you could even try to have a little bit of gratitude for the bad days, as they give you more appreciation for the good days. Just because things aren't going right today, and they might not even go right tomorrow, it doesn't mean that they won't start going right again. A bad day, or even a bad couple of days, does not make a bad life.
Seriously, while it may be hard to believe some days, better days are ahead. You'll get through all of your bad days. You will have better days. As a matter of fact, you will have some great days. So just keep looking ahead, and enjoy those better days when they finally come. Don't worry, they will come, you just have to hang in there.
Once again, it's a bad day, not a bad life. You don't have to allow a bad day ruin your entire week. You don't even have to let one mishap to make today a bad day. You have the power to turn a bad day around if you wish, or at the very least, you can prevent yourself from feeling any worse and allowing it to spill over into the rest of your week. You have the power to pick yourself back up when life happens. Surely it'll be harder on some days than others, but try to keep it going and keep looking ahead. You've gotten through 100% of your bad days up to this point, you'll get through this one too.
How do you handle bad days? Do you try your best to get through them, or do you prefer to just rest for the day? Do you have any ways that you like to treat yourself when life decides to not be so kind? Do you have any quotes or mantras that help you get through a bad day? I'd love to hear them!
How can we get the checklist? :)
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