There's no doubt that we've all had 'one of those days'. A lot. Or weekends, weeks or even more. Sometimes you just get days where everything goes wrong - you head to work with a hangover and no sleep and after that every little thing that goes wrong makes it feel like the end of the world. And the worst part is, you get even more upset over stupid little stuff that normally wouldn't happen, and then you feel even worse for getting upset over something so trivial. I hate those days - doesn't everyone? You just want the day to be over.
How are you supposed to deal with it without tearing your hair out or snapping at everyone in the process? If spending the day in bed just isn't an option (and don't we all wish it was...) here are some ideas to make *those* days just a little bit more bearable..
- Think about what's really wrong, and try to resolve that situation. Work out what it was that resulted in putting you in a bad mood and rather then ignoring it and letting everything else get on top of you, resolve it. Once the initial cause of the problem has been resolved, your mood will hopefully improve and the other little things won't matter anymore.
- The moment something goes wrong, take a deep breathe and count to ten. You might not think it will make much difference, but giving yourself just a few moments to calm down before reacting could be the difference between snapping and making the situation worse and letting the issue go.
- Escape the world for just a little while. Listen to your iPod and block out everyone else, watch a movie or just read a chapter of a book. It will distract you and help you forget about everything else and although it's just temporary, after a while your mood will improve and you might realize that by easily forgetting what's wrong for just a while, it really isn't that much of a big deal.
- Scream and let out all the anger.
- Remind yourself that things could be a lot worse, and people have it a lot harder. Knowing that other people are going through worse won't help you directly, but at least it'll help you forget about the little problems. Again, it won't get rid of the main issue, but it's something.
- Do something that makes you happy, like listening to a favourite song or wearing your favourite perfume. Little things like doing your make up nice or wearing an extra stylish outfit will give you a big positive boost and will help you take on the day better.
- Run a bubble bath, light some candles and just relax.
- Remember that tomorrow is a whole other day. No matter what, you'll always have another chance the next day and things can go so much differently if you allow them. Trivial matters won't be important anymore, and a good nights sleep can make a lot of difference.
- Take a few moments to stop and think about what is going RIGHT. There's no doubt you have loads going for yourself so for a while forget the bad and think about the good. Make a list of things you're thankful for or things you love about yourself. Or you could even start collecting a list of memories in a jar as a new craft project, writing on bits of paper things that have made you happy or good memories you've had. Then when you're feeling down, open the jar and read a few - they'll put you in a better mood in no time.
...but most importantly, if things feel that bad that you really can't see how you're going to cope please think about spending some time with friends or family! Unfortunately days like this effect people who are depressed or bipolar on a much stronger level than other people. So if you are someone who suffers from depression or bipolar disorder and none of these tips work, please look at the bigger picture and get some or talk to someone before the bad days get too much!
