Had a bad day recently? Of course you have.
We all have them.
It’s not possible for us to just experience good days – we have to experience the full spectrum of human emotions – happiness, joy, resentment, anger, fear. Of course life would be easier if we just experienced positive emotions! But we can’t have one without the other – so we’ve all gotta learn how to take the bad with the good.
The thing is, while bad days are inevitable, how we respond to them is not.
This is something I talk about a lot in my School of Champions.
We are in complete control of how we react to challenges. For real. Stick with me, ’cause today, I’m gonna share five of my favorite bad-day busting strategies with you:
Make a choice
We canchoose how we feel and how we respond to challenges. Remember you’re the one in the driver’s seat, so, when you’re faced with a bad day, choose to feel ‘brave’, ‘confident’ or ‘kind’ rather than ‘angry’, ‘annoyed’ or ‘disappointed’. I learnt this trick from my mum. Growing up, we had a few tough years. When my mum was forced to sell her car to make ends meet, she insisted that walking the eight kilometres to and from town to do the shopping was the best way to get her exercise. She chose to look at the best in her situation. A lot of what happens to us is outside our control. But how we feel, how we respond to a situation – that’s completely in our control. So, pick a way to feel that benefits you instead of playing victim to your challenge.
Work out
When something stresses me out, I dump the tools and go for a run! Exercise is often the last thing you feel like doing on a bad day but it’s the best all natural mood booster getting round. Whether it’s a quick walk round the block or an after-work pilates class, you never regret making the effort.
Sleep
I make sleep a non-negotiable. Pretty darn hard to be in a good mood if you’re cranky from a bad night’s sleep.
Get that gratitude attitude
Every morning when I wake up, I practise gratitude. I think of three things that I’m most grateful for in my life and acknowledge them. Why? It’s hard to be grateful and angry at the same time, or grateful and scared at the same time. When you’re grateful – that’s all you can be. This ain’t just a morning activity either. When something stressful or disappointing happens, try to short circuit that negative thought cycle by immediately thinking of three things you’re grateful for.
Admit it
It’s not about pretending we don’t have bad days. Acknowledge them. I say, “Yep, today is a shitty day. You’re gonna get these, it’s normal.” Feel it, admit it and then move on, baby!
