We all have them.  They sneak up on you almost without warning.  I say, “almost,” because there’s usually a little foreshadowing involved, like, not being able to find your keys when you’re already running late getting out the door for work.

Ah, the “bad day.”  I don’t need to define it for you, but what I can do is give you a few ways to cope when, in hindsight, you wonder if getting out of bed was the best decision.

1. Maintain your perspective.  I’ve somehow managed to trigger a response in my head that when something happens, this little voice says, “This too shall pass.”  It’s one of the advantages of being in your 40’s; you’ve lived enough life to know that this saying is very, very true.  So, in the grand scheme of things, this situation that has you upset right now, is it the end of the world?  No.  I can say with confidence, it’s not going to be the end of the world.  (Okay, if you’re a nuclear engineer and reading this, perhaps we need to talk, but the rest of you can relax.)
2. Take control. Do what you can, and accept that.  The problem might not get resolved today.  Do what you can, and if that’s nothing, it’s nothing.  Let’s face it, sometimes things are just simply out of our control.  Own up to your mistakes, if necessary, apologize, do what you can, but then move on.
3. Take a  nap.  Sometimes, this really will “break the spell.”  Thinking you got up on the wrong side of the bed?  Take a nap and get up on the other one - no kidding!  When there’s nothing you can do, changing your habits, or just doing something differently, will psyche you into believing that things are going to change.  And once you believe that . . .
4. Forget your troubles, come on get happy.  Dance, sing, read a motivational book, go to an amusement park, go shopping for something fun, (NOT grocery shopping), ride your bike, take a yoga class, or anything else that you enjoy doing that will take your mind off of everything that’s going wrong.  The advantage of this invokes the law of attraction.  The more you focus on what’s going wrong, the more things will go wrong.  So stop thinking about it.  But how do you stop thinking about the pink elephant? By imaging a green giraffe.
5. Laugh.  Shift your perspective by finding humor in the situation.  There is usually at least a little chuckle to be ascertained in even the most serious of mishaps and pivoting your perspective to see the humorous side is very healthy, emotionally, and physically.  If you can’t find humor in the situation, find humor somewhere.  Take a break and watch a comedy.  Sometimes we have trouble finding the better perspective because we’re too close to the problem.  Watching George Costanza finagle his way out of another tough spot might be just the push you need to see the light in your own situation.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Motivation