Ten ways to fix a bad day
Let’s face it we all have bad days. Sometimes for no apparent reason, we feel like we’ve got out of the wrong side of bed and can’t put our finger on why it feels like the world is out to get us. My brother-in-law has a word for it – being on a stressipice – the precipice of all out stress. Whatever form your bad day takes there are things we can do about it so today I’m sharing my ten ways you can fix a bad day and improve your mood!
As always it’s a pick and mix – try my suggestions and see what works best for you.
Move your body. Sometimes just the act of moving can bust us out of that trapped feeling of doom and gloom or tension. When we’re moving we’re more likely to let our shoulders drop and to breathe properly, both of which help us to feel better.
Get outside into the daylight and if possible, into a green space. Green spaces give our brains space. They restore and refresh us. They can act like a stress valve or reset button.
Put on some uplifting music and have a good sing, dance or both. If you’re in the office even just popping your headphones on and listening quietly for a bit will improve your mood. I have a feelgood playlist with a really weird and wonderful mix of music. Everything from Disney soundtracks to 90s pop, classical music and even hymns! I can vouch for it working even if you haven’t got the energy to get up and sing and dance as last January, when I was really struggling with chemo side effects, I’d received an invitation to my cousin’s wedding. I was lying in bed unable to imagine ever having the energy or enthusiasm to be able to attend. I was feeling so defeated and sorry for myself. As I couldn’t get to sleep I decided to ask Alexa to play my playlist. Just two songs in I felt my mood lift. I felt a physical as well as mental shift. I could imagine feeling well again. I could imagine having the energy to be at the wedding. I was looking forward to it even. The power of music you love is not to be underestimated.
Try a change of environment. If you work from home is it possible to relocate to a different part of the house for a little while? If you’re in the office, can you get away from your desk for a bit? Go and work in another room or do a task that legitimately requires you to be away from your desk. Sometimes a change of environment can work wonders. If none of that is possible, stop for a few minutes and have a good tidy. Clear off the desk, move the stuff that doesn’t need to be there – make your environment just a little bit more inviting. It’s all about helping yourself to feel a little less stuck in your current situation.
Take a break and do one of the things in this list. The act of giving yourself permission to stop can really help.
Check in with yourself – when did you last eat or drink anything? I know that when I let myself get too hungry I end up feeling really anxious. Have a drink, grab a snack or if it’s lunch time take a break away from your desk and allow yourself time to eat and relax a little. And if you’re saying you haven’t time to stop and eat that’s a big red flag that you really do need that break even if it’s just ten minutes. Our brains use about 20% of our daily calories – if you aren’t feeding yourself your brain suffers!
Take a few minutes to think of three to five things you’re grateful for. When we’re in a bad mood or feel like the world is conspiring against us thinking about the many things we can be grateful for can do wonders for our mood.
Call someone you know lifts your mood. It may be that that five-minute chat improves their day too.
Plan something to look forward to. Message your partner or friend and suggest dinner out, a trip to the cinema, a weekend walk. Book yourself a ticket to the exhibition you’ve been meaning to go to. Making a plan can really lift your mood even if it’s not going to happen for a few days or even weeks. Anticipation is half the fun and taking the time to make the plan reminds you that you’re not always going to feel rubbish!
Take a few minutes looking through photos of people and places you love. We all have hundreds of photos in our pockets thanks to smart phones. Have a scroll through a few happy memories. Much preferable to spending ten minutes getting sucked into a social media scrolling black hole when we all know we can end up feeling worse. Do yourself a favour and while you’re in a good mood create a little album of photos of fun and happy times so when you’re having a bad day you can give yourself a boost scrolling through that instead.
And here’s a bonus suggestion. Make a list of the things that you know make you feel good. The ten ideas I’ve already shared could start you off. I call my list my “What Clare needs”. It’s written out in the back of my journal and includes all the things that I know lift my mood. It’s a real pick and mix of activities so depending on the circumstances there’s always something I can do.
So often when we get ourselves into a fix and we’re having a bad day we just keep telling ourselves that we’re having a bad day and don’t think to ask ourselves what we actually need? What could fix it? While the things I’ve suggested today may not fix the root cause of your bad mood they can help fix your response and lift you out of it. So, give them a go and write yourself your own what you need list.
My calendar is currently open for Confidence Jump-starts. If you feel like you're having far too many bad days this is for you. If you’re constantly spinning all the plates and doing all the things but feel like you’re getting nowhere fast this is for you.
Everyone else’s priorities always seem to come higher up the list than yours and you’ve had enough
of not speaking up for what you need.
of putting everyone else first.
of waiting for things to change.
In the hour we have together I’ll help you to start living life on your terms, not everyone else’s. Helping you to be more assertive, saying no to the things you don’t want to do and yes to taking action towards the life you want to lead!
And in the week after our call you get my support to help you as you begin to make changes.
My experience with cancer over the last 18 months brought it home to me even more clearly that we can’t keep waiting around for things to change, for life to get better. We have to take action and for many of us the thing stopping us doing that is our confidence levels. I can help! Link here to book your Confidence Jump-start.
