Anyone who’s ever drawn breath has had a bad day. Days when nothing seems to go right and the odds seem to be stacked against you. Days when you just want to curl up in bed and ignore everything while you sink into the abysses of your favorite Netflix binge show. Days when every little frustration sticks to every other little frustration until you don’t know whether you want to scream or cry or both. You aren’t alone. We’ve been there, too. So here’s a five-step bad day survival guide AND an epicly easy recipe to get you back on your feet. 1 - Don't Fight ItThe absolute worst thing you can do when a bad day hits is fight it. Spending your energy faking smiles and gritting your teeth to push through whatever junk is dragging you down will exhaust you and leave you without the energy you need to take on tomorrow. It’s better to slow down and allow yourself to be sad/mad/negative for a single day than to slap a smile on your face and wear yourself out trying to force the day to get better. If we force it, not allowing ourselves to address our need to feel terrible every once in awhile, the single bad day will turn into multiple bad days, then a bad week, etc. We need these bad days to appreciate the good ones ahead. And there are LOTS of good days ahead. 2 - Keep It CivilJust because you’re having a bad day doesn’t mean you have to spread it to everyone else. Do whatever you need to do to ensure the rain cloud over your head doesn’t get anyone else wet. If you need alone time, take it. Even if it means putting on a movie for your little ones, stay-at-home parents. Even if it means not going home immediately after work, breadwinners. Put some space between yourself and others so you can recuperate. Extroverts, this includes you. You still need alone time just as Introverts still need people. If you can’t keep a kind tongue, bite it. If you need to rant, write it, but never publish. Everyone else has enough of their own bad days without sharing yours. 3 - Seek ComfortFind someone on whom to lean for support. You don’t need to rant or complain to them, just let them know you’re having a bad day and could use some help. Maybe it’s a Spiritual Source. Maybe it’s a family member or a spouse. Maybe it’s a pet or even an old, stuffed animal from your childhood. Seeking comfort is NOT a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you’re human. 4 - Take Care Of YourselfChoose one thing with which to spoil yourself that day. Maybe you’ve been on a diet and could use a special treat (within or without the diet’s restrictions). Maybe you haven’t bought yourself an outfit in months and you’d like a new one. Maybe you’ve been trying to do everything by yourself and could use a little help. If you need to take baby steps, try just taking a shower a few minutes longer than usual or bringing a favorite pair of socks or slippers to work. Whatever you do, do it with purpose and enjoy it. 5 - Keep An Eye On The GoodNo matter how bad your day gets, there will be at least one silver lining. Even if it’s just that the day will be over tomorrow. The sun may be hiding behind a veil of clouds, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Sometimes you just have to trust that the sky will clear up again. Because it will. I promise. Let yourself experience the bad and you’ll better appreciate the good. Life can’t always be pooping butterflies and puking rainbows for you to enjoy, and that’s okay. Who knows? You may start to enjoy your “bad days” and learn to take advantage of them. I know that on my bad days, I make sure the house is clean and dinner is ready a long time beforehand so I can take the rest of the afternoon off and treat the negativity syndrome to ensure tomorrow will be better. Bad Day Kicker ChickenServes 4 (with leftovers in case the bad day seeps into two)
Prep Time: 5 minutes (I’m not kidding) Start at 12pm, eat at 6pm, zero work Tools: Crockpot Rice Cooker Ingredients: 4-5 large chicken breasts 16 oz. cream cheese 1-1 ½ cups salsa 1 cup rice 2 cups water Instructions: Pop chicken, cream cheese, and salsa into crockpot at lunchtime. Forget about it until dinner time. Blissfully remind yourself that you don’t have to cook tonight at 5:30 pm. Pour rice and water into the rice cooker and press the corresponding rice setting. Go relax with a good book. When the rice cooker beeps, put everything on the table and serve hot. This stuff is freaking delicious and the perfect way to celebrate the end of a bad day. You’re welcome.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRegan Guerra is a Personality Geek. As an ENFJ 4w3, she dreams big, wanting to build a ranch where others can rediscover themselves and learn to reimagine life the way it's supposed to be. Archives
February 2017
Categories
All
|