I think we are all familiar with bad days, some worse than others and ranging from waking up late for work, flat tires, to heartbreaks and disappointments. There are countless things that can “go wrong” in a day, or not according to plan. I’ve had days before when I’ve honestly thought I had to be on some practical joke show because the entire day felt like just that, a joke! I wanted to share 5 things I do when I’m having a bad day, and they work every time. They don’t change what happens that day, but they change my perspective and attitude about it, and that changes everything.

 

1. Count My Blessings, Journal things I am Grateful for.

When I’m having a bad day, I always start to make a list (on paper if I can) of things I have in my life I am grateful for. It helps me to realize that the problem I am facing is small in comparison to ALL the blessings and joy I have in every other aspect of my life.  

 

2. Find Humor When Approproiate 

Something I have done since I was young is to find humor in the inconvienet, annoying aspects of life. Long ago I learned to laugh at myself for my silly mistakes and set backs, or even the way others have chosen to treat me. It’s not always appropriate to laugh at hard matters and serious things, but more often than not, we can find humor in the embarrassing moments in life, or the flat tire and embracing the bad hair day. These moments come to us constantly, and we have to choose how we react to them. I find my attitude changes quickly as I find humor in the parts of life that are otherwise discouraging and difficult. It’s important to remember that life is not perfect, or ever meant to be, and these things help to keep life interesting!

 

3. Prayer

I had to mention this because it has worked every single time. Prayer has become a foundation for me, and I find it helpful in the hardest of times and trials, and the simpler trials. We can’t pray for our circumstances to change, but I’ve found it helps if we pray for the strength to overcome our difficulties. Sometimes it just helps me to change my attitude and perspective and to find the things to be grateful for.

 

4. Share it

I’m a talker and I love to connect with others and hear their stories. My friends and family know they can call me when they need to laugh about something that happened that day. Most often than not, I find that sharing your bad day with a friend helps. Mostly it’s with humor that I do it, but it helps… My friends know that when I start something off with “you won’t believe what happened on my way here.” It usually ends in laughter and it quickly becomes something much smaller and far less significant than it was in the moment. 

 

5. Let it Go

Last but not least, you have to let it go. If you hold onto ever bad day, stubbed toe, flat tire, or dissapointment in your life, you harbor resentment and bitterness. It’s important to practice letting things go, and not holding onto those feelings. In my field of work, there are countless things a day I have to brush off and move on from, and it took a lot of practice, a few things I do is talk it out with a coworker or friend, to express my feelings and validate them, then verbally come up with a plan to move forward. It always helps, or sometimes if it’s something not to be shared, I count backwards from 5, and mentally step away from it (if you haven’t heard of the 5 second rule, click here) or my other option is I write it down in my journal what I am feeling and I make a plan to move forward and list reasons why it shouldn’t affect me. 

 

All of these tips collectively have helped me immensely in my day to day life of letting go what needs let go of, finding humor in the struggle, and peace in the trials. Life is difficult and hard and sometimes overwhelming, but I’ve found as I use these 5 methods, it helps me to manage day and situations that can otherwise quickly consume me. 

I hope that they help you the next time you’re having a bad day!  

Love you all, and I hope you all have a great week! 

XOXO, MYKEL ELIZABETH