When I left work yesterday, I wasn’t feeling so hot. Physically, I was hot – my cheeks were red from sitting hunched over my desk all day, jaws dropped in awe at the problems popping up like ads on the computer screen. I like my job, but it was just one of those days. As I descended the (almost) million steps down from the office I thought to myself (or mumbled, whatever), what can I do to make this better?
The problems I was experiencing, and will continue to experience, were little specks upon a week, a month, a lifetime. Websites crashing. Low views. Emails not responded to. Ideas not coming together. Demanding clients. They’re so little. But like most of those little things, I felt that nagging feeling of them adding up – continuously piling high as the steps I climbed down from.
That’s when I thought I should of writing this: a step-by-step guide (because who doesn’t like those?) to follow when I’m having a bad day. And because we’re all different, you can read my tips and then swap them out for your own…
What to do when you’ve had a bad day:
Talk it out – but not too much. I share everything with my boyfriend. It calms me down to go through the day’s events – good or bad. But lately I’ve noticed that if I get it off my chest and then be done with it, I feel a lot better. Be as detailed with you need to be – with your friend, boyfriend, mom, whatever. But make the decision to tell your story and be done.
Brew a warm cup of whatever comforts you. Confession: Sometimes I drink coffee late. I tell myself it’s the warm, delicious beverage that lifts my spirits, not the extra dosage of caffeine. I know it’s not the healthiest, but having a little comfort food/drink will help pull you out of your slump. For me, a little coffee, some sugar, and a lot of cream, goes a long way. Then I can move on and focus on the night’s projects: the blog, shop, writing, reading, whatever – with a perkier outlook.
Instead of coffee you could choose a caffeine free tea, cider, or whatever else makes you happy, and just relax for a little bit. Consider it the in-between period as you rise to the surface of your shitty day and breathe in a different air.
Go on a walk. I love to walk. I feel antsy when I don’t walk at least one place everyday. If you work in an office all day, sitting at home at your desk will feel like an imitation of the days’ events. Even if you’re active all day, going on a leisurely walk around your ‘hood will feel like…a walk in the park, so to speak. When I was younger, I walked everywhere alone (thinking back, I don’t know that that was the smartest choice), I loved being on my own to clear my head. I find that when I’m walking I don’t think of my day so negatively, I think of solutions, of new ideas, and new ways to execute them.
Clean it up. Even if you can’t control the circumstances that created the bad day, you can often control your surroundings. Falling asleep surrounded by a mess of laundry and cat toys (those kittens are way messier than I expected) always spells bad news come 6am. When you’ve had a bad day, follow steps 1-3 and then get to tidying things up. It will make for a more relaxing night ahead and a better morning.
Get a good night’s sleep – or try to. I get so worked up when I’ve had a bad day that I start to panic about how the night’s going to go, how my sleep will be disrupted, how the next morning I have to get up and do it all again. Talk about pessimistic. When I’ve actually given myself time to get over it, go on that walk, and hop into bed at a normal hour, things start to fall into place. It’s nice if I can dim the lights a bit and get a good few minutes of reading in, too.
Luckily for me, my bad day ended just in time for me to follow my own advice – but this doesn’t happen all the time. To that I say, pick the option most important to you (and it’s not cleaning) and use it to relax, refresh, and get ready for a better tomorrow. Here’s to doing bad days, better.
These are all great tips- I’m totally someone that needs to talk it out! I feel so much better afterwards. I hope things look up today!
You said Shit. I heard (read) it! 😀
You couldn’t have posted this on a better day, so many things have been piling up for me both literally and figuratively lately that today I just feel melt down. I’m hoping to spend the weekend cleaning up and organizing, so I can start fresh on Monday. I love every idea on your list. And I too used to walk alone a lot when I was younger, now I realize how lucky I am that nothing bad ever happened! sheesh. 🙂
xo.
wowwwwwww thx so much for this hunnie
My blog http://www.islandchic77.com
Cleaning up and tidy up really helps my mood and state of mind getting more positive, or at least, less chaotic… Thanks for the tips, I tend to get anxious so… yeah!