Today. Was a bad day. I knew it was going to be a bad day when I left my apartment this morning, forgot my breakfast, went back up, got my breakfast, came back down, it was pouring, went back up, got my umbrella, and walked to work.
I always find that when my mornings don’t start right – my normal routine is out of whack – that the rest of the day is pretty much screwed.
Now don’t you start worrying, nothing big happened to make my day a bad one. But it was all the little things. Like, Starbucks making my drink wrong. Not being “on my game” at work today. There being no lockers left at the gym. My cat throwing up on my favorite rug. My homemade marinara sauce being too salty. And then finding a hair (either mine or my cat’s) in it. To name a few. Life is about the little things and the little things add up. Which means that when these little things suck then the day, well, really sucks. And you just want to scream. Loudly. On a rooftop.
You know how I believe you create your happiness. You are in control of your good days and you make them happen with a positive attitude and outlook. However, sometimes, the odds are against you. And sometimes, sometimes, it’s ok to to feel the bad day. To mope and wallow and cry. So I did. First, I went to the gym and climbed 132 stories on the stairmaster, spent 15 mins rowing, and then did planks. After I thought I had taken out my bad-day aggression on my body, I came home, turned up the TV, screamed a few choice words, punched my pillow, and cried. And it felt good.
So do it. Take out all the frustration. Scream, yell, punch, curse, whatever it takes to get out that aggression. And if you’re like me, write about it – that alone will make you feel better.
Then move on.
Take a deep breath. Forget all the crappy things that happened that day and think about how you’re going to make tomorrow better. Listen to some empowering music. Make a list of the things you want to accomplish tomorrow. Get some fresh air. Because tomorrow is a new day.
And you have to remember – there’ll be days like this, too:
Thank you, Van, for helping me get through today 🙂
How do you cope with a bad day?
YES. I’m totally having one of these days today. I woke up cranky, probably mostly because of the cold rainy weather. I keep trying to force myself to be in a better mood but it’s not working very well. I’ll have to just try to ride it out and hope I wake up happier tomorrow.
Thanks for the post!
-Jessica
@Jessica Roy, Thanks for the comment! Weather definitely does play a huge role in our mood. I can safely say that (so far) today has been a MUCH better day! Hope yours gets better, too!
Argh! Hate days like that – where I start dropping everything I’m carrying over and over like the three stooges first thing in the morning. That’s when I *KNOW* the day is going to test my patience.
Sounds like you made it through yours – thanks for the reminder to just feel it, get out the frustration (132 stories on the stairmaster? DAYUM girl!), and move on.
Hope you have a fantastic rest of the week!
Jenny,
Oh yeah, I knew it was going to be a bad day almost immediately when I woke up. But, I tried to power though and things just kept happening! Sometimes it’s comical, but others, it’s just irritating. Yeah, 132 stories – my legs aren’t happy with me today, but I feel great!
I don’t know how to say this without sounding weird, but I’m GLAD you cried it out. And worked it out! I completely agree with you, that we create our happiness, and that it’s important to feel the bad days, the not so happy emotions and then let.them.go. If you hold on to them, you’re pretty much sealing the deal on a bad tomm, and I’m glad you didn’t do that. I think days like yesterday are the Universe trying to tell us something-not sure what, but I’m glad it’s OVER. Happy days.
And love me some Van. And YOU!
Thanks, love! It felt good to cry it out (and is another wonderful reason why I love living alone).
When I’m having a bad day, I go out of my way to do anything and everything that makes me feel goooood. You know, vegging out in front of the tv, spending probably too much time online, putting on my favorite oversized sweats from college.
I’m sorry you had a tough day, lady, but I’m glad you’re strong enough to know it’s just one day, not your life, and that you can move on from it. 🙂
Thanks, Kaci! It’s definitely important to be able to move on from a bad day. It’s such a let down if you can’t! They happen. To everyone. But only the strong can withstand! 🙂
Nice post – life’s full of up’s and downs… I like to nap through the bad days :>
Ahhh, napping is one of my favorite things to do. It’s definitely a good way to pass the time on a bad day. Thanks for the comment! 🙂