Summary

The article provides five strategies to improve a bad day, emphasizing the importance of personal agency in shifting one's mindset and circumstances.

Abstract

The author of the article shares their personal experience of a challenging morning and outlines five actionable steps to turn a bad day around. These steps include listening to inspiring music, engaging in a brief guided meditation, writing to process emotions or plan ahead, having something to look forward to, and planning for the next day to mitigate recurring issues. The article suggests that by taking control of one's reactions and implementing these simple practices, individuals can transform their negative experiences into more positive outcomes.

Opinions

The author believes in the power of music to influence mood positively, suggesting classical soundtracks like those from "Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter," and "Pride and Prejudice."
Meditation is recommended as a tool to relax the body and mind, with the Headspace app mentioned for its convenience and brevity of sessions.
Writing is seen as a method for working through problems, with the advice to write affirmations that are believable in the moment rather than overly optimistic statements.
The author advocates for having small, enjoyable events to anticipate throughout the day, which can provide a sense of excitement and purpose.
Reflecting on the day's challenges and planning for tomorrow is considered crucial for long-term improvement of one's situation, focusing on areas within one's control.

5 Ways To Turn Around a Terrible Day

It’s only 7:56 AM on a Monday morning and I’ve already had more negative thoughts than I can keep track of. Plus, my neighbors are currently getting a new roof, which means lots of banging and pounding before I’ve even finished my first cup of coffee.

At this point, I have to make some decisions. Am I going to allow a rough start to ruin a perfectly good day? Or, am I willing to make a few simple changes to turn things around?

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. We all have hard days, we all struggle at times. This is completely normal. The key, is our reaction, how to respond to what is placed before us.

Here are 5 Ways to Turn Around a Terrible Day

1. Keep Inspiring/Relaxing Music Close at Hand

It’s important to know what types of music tend to relax you or put you in a positive or inspired frame of mind. For me, this tends to be classical music. I especially love great movie soundtracks like:

Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
Pride and Prejudice

I find these soundtracks on Pandora but you could probably find them on other streaming services or on ITunes.

The key here is to know yourself and what music will put you in a better mood.

2. Take 5 Minutes to Do a Quick Guided Meditation

Even if you feel like you don’t have the time, taking a few minutes to relax your body is usually worth the short investment.

I like to use the Headspace app because I find that it’s simple to use, and they always have a daily meditation that is around 3–5 minutes long.

Will this magically make you feel peppy and positive for the rest of the day, probably not. However, it is a good start.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, or having a hard day, sometimes just having a plan with a few steps is just what your mind needs to settle itself down.

3. Write Rather Than Think Your Way Out of the Problem

Now, it’s 8:38 AM. I just finished my quick Headspace meditation, I turned my Harry Potter playlist back on, and now we’re onto step 3, a few minutes of writing. You could write down some affirmations, or journal about how you’re feeling and thinking, or anything that’s on your mind or worrying you.

If you choose to do affirmations, keep in mind that it’s important to write down thoughts that you actually believe. For example, “Today is the best day of my life” might not be something that your mind will be on board with right now. But, “9:00 AM is a fresh start” might be more believable right now.

Even if you feel like you don’t have anything to write, just start writing. How are you feeling? What is on your mind? Believe me, we’re ALWAYS thinking about something.

For me, as I was just journaling, I realized that I’ve made so many positive changes in my life over the past year and experienced a lot of growth. Massive growth is not easy for our brains, it’s much easier to be fearful and keep us safe.

Give it a try yourself! Either in a notebook or a Google doc, write out some thoughts and see what comes up for you. You might be surprised.

4. Have Something to Look Forward To

Whether it’s a great day or feels like the worst day ever, always have something to look forward to. This is something that I started doing a few years ago when I was really unhappy with my work. Before I started my work for the day, I would think about one thing that I was looking forward to. It could be as small as:

Meeting a friend for coffee (or a virtual coffee date)
Eating one of your favorite meals for dinner
Receiving a package in the mail
Going for a long walk
Listening to a podcast
Working on a side hustle or hobby

To make this a simple habit, keep a stack of post its by your desk and each morning, write down one thing you’re excited about for that particular day. Keep it on your desk so that you can glance at it from time to time during the day as a reminder of what you have to look forward to.

Today mine is getting my birthday package in the mail from my family!

5. Plan for Tomorrow

When we start having too many bad days in a row, it’s important to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

For most of us, when we’re struggling, we can usually trace the majority of our stress and anxiety to 1–2 areas of life.

Take a moment to consider what made today so bad, and see if there is anything you can do to prevent it from happening again. If not, focus on the things that you DO have control over like your mindset and response to problems.

On the other hand, if you ARE able to change a problem in your life, consider what actions you can take and write down 1–2 next steps to start putting that change into action!

To Sum Up:

Keep Inspiring/Relaxing Music Close at Hand
Take 5 Minutes to Do a Quick Meditation
Write Your Way Out of the Problem
Have Something to Look Forward To
Plan for Tomorrow

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