Elle’s Edit: What To Do When You Had a Bad Day

Well folks, this week was a doozy and it is only Thursday.

I always try to go into the week with a positive attitude because every week should theoretically be a fresh start. So what do you do when things don’t go as planned and you find yourself having a bad week? Well, it is normal to have those bad weeks and okay to take a step back and say I am not okay right now. It all happened for me this week on Tuesday when I woke up to a text from my dad saying “call me” which you know is never good. My grandma was rushed to the hospital and had to undergo a life threading procedure to keep her heart alive. Fortunately she is awake and well right now but the road to recovery is going to be a long one, especially at her age. Then I received not exciting news about my job and how it is completely changing and the location of where I work could be changing too. I am not going to go into many details because it is personal but it was not the news that I wanted to hear. As always, I try to see light at the end of the tunnel and I tell myself it could be way worse and I know that. However as I am writing this, I am almost through the week and I keep telling myself if only I can get to the end of this week. Why? Do I really feel like my life will get better by Friday at 6pm when I am done with work or over the weekend? Who knows! I need to try to do a better job of saying okay, have a pity party now but in the next hour (during the work week) snap out of it. It is never good to just dwell on your negativity because it will get worse especially if you are negative for days.

So…what should you do when you have a bad day? This is what I am trying to do and even though all of these might not work, it is getting me in the right direction of being in a better mental state.

Go to bed early. I’ve been doing this every day this week, except for Tuesday when I needed to stay up to watch the debate. Fortunately I was EXHAUSTED from watching the debate that I fell right to sleep and actually slept through the night. But the other nights this week I went to bed early and I also didn’t look at my phone for 30 mins leading up to going to bed. Let me tell you I truly believe that makes a difference!

Get a workout in the morning. Do you always tell yourself at night that you are going to wakeup and get a killer workout in the morning? And then when your alarm goes off you go ah never mind? Happens to me all the time. However I let myself do a chill workout like barre, pilates, an arm workout, or a quick yoga flow to get my mental state in a good place and then call it a win. You don’t need to get a killer workout done in the morning if you don’t want to. However, I do encourage you to do something for at least 15 mins to get in a good mindset for the day.

Eat. Shouldn’t be that hard, should it? When I am stressed or going through stuff I honestly don’t eat or I forget to eat. I know people joke about who on earth forgets to eat? Well, I do. And let me tell you it is a killer on your metabolism and mood. You have to eat. On Tuesday for example, I knew I had this meeting with my VP (where the news was shared about our jobs) at 11:30 so I ate lunch at 11. Why? Because I knew the news I was about to hear wasn’t going to be good and I wouldn’t be in the mood to eat afterwards. I also knew I was going to be on calls talking about what happened and what is next for the rest of the day so I planned ahead and I am glad I did. I had to force myself to eat dinner at 8pm because I knew I needed to get fuel in my body to function properly.

Have some alone time. Even though I am 100% an extrovert when it comes to stuff like work or my personal life, I find myself not wanting to talk to people directly after something happened. Why? Well, I think it is because I need to grasp the information on my own and let it hit before I share it with people I love and trust. I am fine with sharing everything 100% but it takes me time to do so. Does that happen to you?

Throw yourself a pity party. It is OKAY to feel the way you do and let yourself feel that way. It is normal. And do not feel guilty for shedding some tears and feeling “pathetic” after you do so. If you got to complain, complain away!

But then get yourself together and find something positive. Again, put it all into perspective and you will realize it is not the end of the world. Be adaptable to change, know we live in a crazy world right now, and know that the next hour and day that you are given is a gift and make the most of it.

I’ll leave it with this, one of my favorite quotes. “Having a bad day? Put your hand over your chest. Feel that beat? It’s called purpose. You’re here for a reason. Don’t leave without one.” 

What do you do when you are having a bad day?  

Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo