7 days to make a horrible day better

When you’re having a very bad day the horrors may persist throughout the day and nothing makes you feel better after a bad day.

Every one of us has experienced bad days—and the struggle of trying to make ourselves feel better when everything sucks. Sometimes it’s little inconvenient things like a flat tire or getting to work late but sometimes the circumstances feel way more soul-crushing, such as getting laid off from your job, fighting with a loved one, or receiving some not-so-great news. Either way, such days are no fun, and it’s very easy to let one thing—or, in some cases, a series of unfortunate things — spoil your entire day and take a toll on your mental health.

While you probably can’t control whatever caused the chaos, you can learn how to survive without falling apart when the hell is let loose.

Here are seven helpful and actionable tips to turn things around when the thunder of misfortune strikes.

1. Accept that you’re having a bad day: Setting the bar high every single day to be perfect can make any miss feel like a personal failure—which it isn’t, It’s just life. So when trouble knocks, permit yourself to have a bad day. Accepting that things are not going according to plan is easier said than done but I have learned from my bad days that accepting rather than resisting makes you feel bad but not terrible. As the saying goes, “Whatever we resist will persist.” So, the more we avoid feeling miserable, the more things seem to spiral.

2. Remember you’ve survived 100% of your worst day: While it may sound a not-so-good idea to reminisce on past worst days when you’re currently on the worst day, this can be a confidence booster. Those times are proof that you can handle whatever life throws at you. In other words, you’re a tough one who has dealt with challenges in the past, so you best believe you can do it again. If you’re a journaler like me you can, read through old journal entries about previous crummy days you’ve experienced and remind yourself that even if that struggle felt like the end of the world or like it was never-ending, you made it through. So take a moment to recall some of those tough periods to help you shift into an “I’ve got this” mindset.

3. Remember the good times: Treasuring your good old days by looking through photos or videos of happy moments, reviewing positive journal entries, or reading kind messages from others can also help put things in perspective. “Negative moods tend to distort our view of reality, tempting us to think that not only is today bad, but all days are bad, so reflecting on the good times can help your perspective go from everyone is there to pull you down to there are people who care for you so moods are temporary, and good things are on the horizon.

4. Think of your bad day as a blessing in disguise: What if having an awful day was secretly a good thing and not just the universe playing a trick on you? Growth and “pain” often go hand in hand. For example, you might struggle to build self-confidence if you don’t do things that push you out of your comfort zone. So even if life feels like a total flop show, slow down to re-frame the “bad day” as an opportunity to learn and evolve, When you approach challenges in this way, it becomes easier to endure the “pain”.

5. Engage yourself in some activity: Engaging your body in some activity yourself can work wonders at making you feel a whole lot better. That’s because physical activity helps reduce stress by releasing endorphins, the natural mood-lifting hormone. Going for a walk to clear your mind helps you to be present, which is a form of mindfulness that helps reduce anxiety and improve mental well-being, The other easy ways are doing deep breathing exercises for five minutes, giving yourself a head massage, cooking something or simply stepping outside to soak up some sunshine.

6. Check your thoughts: Sometimes (OK, a lot of the times) negative thinking, excessive worry, and anxiety make it feel like the sky is falling, even when nothing particularly awful happened. So recognizing the role your mind plays in perpetuating the sucky emotions is a helpful way to de-escalate the situation, calm your nervous system, and regulate your mood. Become an observer of your thoughts. At the first sign of worry or anxiety creeping in, take a moment to identify the negative thoughts swirling in your mind. Replace all negative thoughts with more realistic, empowering thoughts like, I don’t have to be perfect all the time, and there are varying degrees of success.

7. Do something for someone else: Performing an act of kindness changes your perspective so you can see yourself as “an agent of positive change in the world,” That frame of mind puts you in a better headspace to turn the tide on your bad day potentially. As for the act of kindness itself, sending a nice text to a friend, or donating to a charity that’s close to your heart. Do whatever makes the most sense for you.

So, next time you have a bad day, remember you have the tools to make it better. You're stronger and more resilient than you think, and brighter days are on the horizon