5 Ways to Handle a Bad Day.
First of all, if you're reading this to help you deal, I'd just like to say that I'm sorry you're having a bad day. I feel like it doesn't take much to have a one, it's easy to get wrapped up in negatives and just think, "Why me, why do bad things always happen to me?" "What did I do to deserve this?" Sometimes bad days come from the results of our own actions and all we can do is just learn from those experiences. Other times you wake up and you know that today isn't your day, and that's okay. I definitely have days like that. I know they're not fun, but we just have to accept that life can't be perfect all the time. If nothing bad ever happened, we wouldn't be able to truly appreciate good when it comes along.
I want to share with you the ways that I find help me when I have these days. Hopefully, they can help you too. Feel free to leave a comment about other things that make you feel better as well.
- Talk about it. Whatever it is that's bothering you, you don't have to keep it inside. I'm guilty of this, I feel like I have to be strong all the time. That if I talk about my problems and rant or cry to someone, it feels like I'm burdening them. The chances of someone you care enough about to tell them whats going on in our life and they tell you they don't want to hear about it are slim to none. If they do then maybe that's not the best relationship. You can talk to whoever you want, whether that be your parents, siblings, friends, significant others, role models, and then the more professional folk like counselors or therapists. Also if you need time to think and process before you're ready to spill the tea, then 100% take that time for yourself. This approach works best for me because occasionally I get mad about little things and when I think before I act sometimes I realize that what happened wasn't a big deal, and I should chill. Other times I come to understand that what I'm mad about isn't necessarily what happened, but there is an underlying issue that surfaced when it happened. For example, if I'm telling someone something and they are on they're phone and not completely listening and that upsets me. Am I really mad about that? I mean it's rude yes, but that's such I minor thing. What I realize in that situation is that it made me feel very unimportant to this person and there have been multiple instances in my left that made me feel that way before. So am I really upset about this person, no, I'm upset because I don't want to feel unimportant again. If maybe there isn't someone you'd like to talk to or maybe your just not ready, whatever it may be, you can write about it. Get it off your chest and onto paper and then read it out loud to yourself. Write a poem, a story, an essay or just brain dump that shit. Just don't keep it inside, it will only hurt you more. Once you've talked about, try to resolve it. Figure out solutions that work for you to avoid this particular situation again.
- Spend time in nature. You can go to the forest, the beach, a city park, it really doesn't matter. Wherever you can go to get a breath of fresh air than do it. I personally like being by the water, I don't know what it is about it, but it makes my problems feel smaller to a point where I can handle them. Somethings happened and they feel larger and heavier making them feel overwhelming. Just get outside and breathe that air, listen to the sounds. The birds chirping, and waves creeping in. Enjoy the smells of the trees or the saltwater. watch the branches sway in the wind or the sunset over the horizon.
- Self-care. If you're having a bad day take time to put yourself first to heal from it. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Pour yourself a bubble bath, do a face mask, go for a drive with your favorite music blasting. I usually wouldn't recommend eating to help cope but if you believe in your heart that eating that piece of cake will make you feel better, then eat that fucking cake. Go on a walk, or a run or go to the gym, dance (I love dancing away anger or sadness). Sweat it out. Cleaning is another one that works for me, I am a firm believer that a cluttered room makes a cluttered mind. Cleaning organizing and decluttering can be very therapeutic.
- Find the good. Something bad happened today, but wasn't it really a bad day or just a bad 10 minutes? There's always going to be something good that happens, sometimes it just takes a little longer to find it. Write down 3 good things that happened today, and focus on those. Appreciate those moments more. Maybe you're having a bad day and you can't think of anything good, be the good. Make someone else's day. A few weeks ago I was having a rough day and it didn't seem like anything was going right. I went to Starbucks and I got a coffee, then I paid for the person behind me. The thought that maybe they were also having a bad day and I made it better by something as simple as buying them coffee, that's a good feeling.
- Know that it's okay to have bad days. We are humans, nothing is ever going to be perfect and that's okay. Every day can't be the best day of your life. You can try your hardest to make the best of it and move on. Bad things happen, but so do good things so just hold onto those good ones. cherish and treasure them more. Know that this isn't going to be the last bad day you have but you might have some incredible ones before the next hard one comes along. Treat days like these as a learning experience, how can you grow from this? How can you handle it better next time?
I hope this helps and I genuinely hope that your day gets better.
-Courtney :)
