So you’re having one of those days, eh?
You might have woken up to some bad news.
Maybe you missed your alarm, or you tried to start your day on the right foot but it didn’t work out.
You could have done some kind of mistake and now you feel bad about yourself.
Perhaps you’re dealing with some annoying people at work.
Or you might just be feeling grumpy and sad for no specific reason.
Whatever it is, I can assure you that we’ve all been there.
In fact, studies show that the average person experiences 60 bad days per year, that’s 5 bad days per month, which means at least one bad day every week.
So have no worries, because you’re definitely not alone.
I personally absolutely hate those days.
Whenever I’m having one, I pray for it to pass as fast as possible. I just feel so annoyed at everyone and everything that comes into my sight, and just super down to the point where I don’t have the energy to get anything done.
Sometimes you should just wait for it to pass as it’s absolutely normal to have a not-so-good day every once in a while.
However, my advice is to get up and do something about it, because our actions and habits affect our moods more than we think. Just like not taking proper care of ourselves can make us feel down, taking the right steps can absolutely cheer us up and turn our whole day around.
So here I come to you with 10 of my all-time favorite tips that I use whenever I’m having a bad day, which are guaranteed to make you feel ten times better.
1. Drop the self-pity talk
So you’re not exactly having the time of your life right now, and you’re sitting there hating yourself and probably your entire life as well.
But that won’t get you anywhere. In fact, it’s going to make you feel even worse.
The first step you need to take when you’re having a bad day, is to stop wallowing in self-pity. Don’t sit there contemplating your whole existence and thinking about every single thing that’s going wrong in your life.
Humans have a negativity bias; meaning we’re hardwired to think about negative things.
That becomes even more true when we’re already experiencing something that’s not-so-pleasant. So you need to make a conscious effort to switch off the negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.
Remind yourself of all the things you have in your life that you’re grateful for, and that although you’re not feeling your best at the moment, there has been days where you were feeling wonderful and you’ll definitely have a lot more of those as well.
When you really think of your blessings and all the beauty and good that this world possesses, you realize that perhaps, life’s not so bad after all.
2. Reduce your workload
I know, even if you’re feeling low, you probably still have to get stuff done, and completely ditching your to-do list is most likely not an option.
But the last thing you want to do when you’re having a bad day is to overwork yourself. So if you can, take it easy on yourself and remove a few tasks from that to-do list.
If it’s a work thing, see if you can hand it over to a co-worker. Let’s say you have to take care of your kids, lean on your spouse or your family for support.
For tasks that are not that urgent, leave them for another day. Only leave to yourself the tasks that are urgent and that can only be done by you, and let go of the rest.
It’s on days like these when you need time to yourself to recharge and gain that energy back. Always remember: you cannot pour from an empty cup.
3. Play some upbeat songs
Music has the power to instantly change your mood.
No matter how bad you’re feeling, grab your headphones and play some of your favorite beats.
Even better, pick a song that you can sing along to till your throat hurts. Think “Blank Space” by Taylor swift, or “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. I absolutely love singing along to these two songs; they make me feel so alive and they make me forget that I was feeling down in the first place.
Maybe play something that makes you dance, and actually have a whole dance party in your room to get that excess energy out, which brings me to my next point:
4. Get some movement
Exercising is well-known for all the benefits it brings, especially when it comes to mood, happiness and overall health.
And when I say movement, I don’t necessarily mean a 2-hour high intensity workout. Sometimes if you’re feeling low, you don’t really have that much energy to spare.
But I swear that just a 20 to 30 minutes’ workout will do wonders for your mood. If I’m more on the sad side, I’ll do some yoga or some light circuit training.
But if I feel more on the angry/annoyed side, I like to grab my headphones, put on some EDM beats, and get a good strength workout. No better way for me to get rid of all that extra cooped-up energy than to have a good lift. The way I feel afterwards is an incomparable feeling.
But again, if that’s not your thing, just go for whatever type of exercise you prefer. What’s important is that you convert that negative energy to a rush of endorphins by getting a good sweat.
5. Go out for a walk
In case you rolled your eyes when you got to the previous point and decided to skip it, I’m here to try to convince you of this one.
I know that exercise is not everyone’s cup of tea, and sometimes the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling low is to work out. Or you just can’t bother changing into your sports clothes and working out in the middle of the day.
However, you can definitely spare 10 minutes for a walk around the corner.
No discussion allowed.
Just kidding.
On a serious note, walks have been proved to significantly lower stress and improve emotional well-being.
It’s best to do it out of course; being surrounded with nature brings such an underrated feeling. I can look at some greenery and I’ll instantly feel better; to walk through it and feel the breeze of the wind on my face feels even more amazing.
So grab your headphones, play some music or a podcast, and go out for a quick walk. I promise you’ll come back feeling super rejuvenated.
6. Drink plenty of water
Water makes up around 60% of our bodies, so it only makes sense that it’s super important for probably every area of our health.
And that goes onto mental health as well; dehydration is related to fatigue, increased stress levels and sometimes depression. If you’re feeling sad and tired, being dehydrated might have something to do with it a lot of the times.
That’s why you should make sure to keep drinking water throughout the day to fight off the side effects of dehydration. Especially when you’re feeling down or like you have no energy to function, grab a large cup of water and drink it. It’ll make you feel a lot better.
Take it a step further and keep your bottle of water beside you at all times so you don’t forget to sip on it.
7. Take a shower and get dressed
A good shower can do wonders for your mood.
Whenever I’m not feeling my best, I leave whatever I’m doing and I go take a shower. It feels like I’ve been holding some weight on my back and I’ve finally let it down.
Proper hygiene makes the biggest difference in how you feel, so if you’re walking around with your hair all greasy, you probably will not be feeling your best.
And even if you already took a shower in the morning, another quick one doesn’t hurt anyone. If you can handle to do it with cold water, that’s even better, because it’ll make you feel super refreshed and energized.
And if you have the time, put on a nice outfit and do your hair and makeup. There’s no way you’ll still be feeling down after you take the time to pamper yourself. Even if you’re not going anywhere, don’t be afraid to look good for yourself; it’ll make you feel a lot better.
8. Journal
Now’s the time to address what’s really bothering you. Yes, sometimes we feel down for no specific reason, but often times there’s a bigger problem at work.
So grab your diary and get writing. Don’t overcomplicate it, just let the words flow. Describe how you’re feeling, what you might think triggered those emotions, and why it might be bothering you that much.
When I’m having a bad day, I consider it the best time to have a good journaling session, because that’s especially when the deeper issues come out.
I mean nobody wants to deliberately think about problems when they’re feeling good; but when we’re feeling low we start thinking about every bad thing in our life. And what better way to let go of this weight than to write about it?
Journaling is absolutely amazing to sort out your thoughts and your feelings. You’ll notice that a lot of those negative emotions will fade away after you’re done writing.
9. Call a friend
I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to isolate when I’m feeling down. I just don’t feel like going out and socializing with people, and I even stop responding to messages.
But that doesn’t help at all, in fact it makes me feel ten times worse.
Human connection is essential to our emotional well-being, and not getting enough of that interaction can be more detrimental than you might think. Especially if you’re going through a hard time, your friends should act as your support system.
But if you can’t make plans or you simply don’t want to go out, just calling a friend will do. You don’t even have to tell them about what’s bothering you if you don’t want to, but just catching up with them and having a good chat about life will turn your whole mood around.
So pick up your phone, call someone close to you, and have a good laugh. You’ll feel so much lighter afterwards.
10. Have some comfort food and watch a good movie
Look guys, I’m all for that healthy eating shit. In fact, most of the meals I eat are quite healthy.
But if I’m having a bad day, that simply will not do.
After I’ve done all of the above steps, what’s left for me is to end the day with my favorite movie and some good carbs (think a delicious burger or a mouth-watering pizza).
Now if the reason you’re actually feeling low is that you’ve been eating shitty food all day, I’d say you should skip that heavy meal, just so you don’t feel even worse.
But if that’s not the case, get up and prepare your favorite meal. If you can’t bother to cook, pick up the phone and order out.
Then turn on Netflix and play a movie that makes you feel good.
Or that makes you bawl your eyes out, if you’re into that.
My all-time favorite movie would have to be Monte Carlo, in which Selena Gomez is the lead actress. I swear I’ve watched that movie over ten times already, and I’ll keep on rewatching it until I find a better one. It just makes me so happy, and it reminds me of how great life can be.
If you’ve done all of the above steps and you still don’t feel your best, I want you to remind yourself that it’s completely normal. There’s no point in beating yourself over it.
Having a bad day does not mean that you have a bad life, and that day is going to pass eventually.
However, keep these steps in the back of your mind and practice them regularly and not just when you’re having a bad day. Remember, prevention is better than cure, so make sure that you’re practicing the necessary habits to keep your mental-health in check.
