No matter how good you are at your job, and no matter how much you enjoy it, bad days happen to everyone once in a while. Maybe you had an awful conversation with a client, or a meeting with your boss was particularly terrible, or maybe it’s something that’s going on at home that’s bothering you – maybe all of the above. Whatever the reason, here are a few things you could try, or keep in mind, that might help when you’re having a bad day.
(Photo Credit: Riley and Amos/Flickr)
1. Let go of perfectionism.
No one is perfect. Are you really having a dreadful day or are you just being way too hard on yourself? A lot of people have a very difficult time letting go of their mistakes. Try learning from what went wrong, for the future, instead of focusing on the misstep. Literally everyone makes mistakes from time to time — remember that it’s normal and try to forgive yourself. Also, try to not be so hard on yourself, because, it’s really not great to be a perfectionist.
2. Should someone else feel badly instead?
On the other hand, if you are struggling with something that happened to you rather than something that you caused, why are you the one feeling badly? Maybe it’s someone else who should be suffering with the bad day instead. If someone else caused your bad day by being out of line in some way, try to keep in mind that you’re not really the right person to feel dragged down by this. Leave that to the person who caused the problem.
3. Cancel something awful.
A lot of people consider having a treat of some kind after a rough day, and that’s not a bad idea. But, you know what’s even better than doing something awesome? Not doing something that you’ve been dreading. So, cancel those plans for tonight that you didn’t really feel like making in the first place. Plan to clean your house or go the grocery store another day instead. I promise you that cancelling something you aren’t excited about will give your mood a nice little boost — and you don’t even have to feel badly about doing it! You had a bad day.
4. Don’t eat stuff that will make you feel worse.
Stress makes you hungry and workers are more likely to eat junk food during a bad day. The trouble is, these foods might make you feel worse in the long run. Eat some good protein and take a brief walk instead. You’ll be able to shake off that bad day a little easier if you do.
5. Don’t go on Facebook, and consider avoiding screens in general.
The easiest thing to do after a bad day might be to just bop around on the internet. But, it’s not going to make you feel better. Instead, do something that requires a little more effort but will have longer reaching restorative powers, like taking a bath, having a talk with a friend, or getting a little exercise. Facebook, television, or computer games will band-aid your troubles, but they’ll be right there when you get back. Other activities might take a little time or energy, but you’ll feel better after you’ve done them, not worse.
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