Eleven Ways To Bounce Back From Bad Days!

If you're human, bad days are a guarantee, no one is excluded, unfortunately.

I've had my fair share of bad days and the last couple of days being the most recent. I managed through them, thank God, and this is how I did it.

• Talking to God. I've especially come to appreciate the value and significance of my Christian faith on bad days. I couldn't tell you how many therapy sessions I've had with God where I'll just freely air out everything I'm feeling and what's going on with me, without the fear of human judgement. It always encourages me to know and be reminded that God cares for me and loves me deeply, He's concerned about my welfare and He wants me to be joyful and enjoy life.

• Talking to someone. Having trustworthy people around that I can talk to, even if it means just having them there to hear me out has really helped. It validates that I'm not alone and my situation is not unique. It also helps me remember that I'm human, especially when I'm being hard on myself.

• Writing down thoughts. This is something that I've picked up again and would easily recommend to anyone, especially if you're introverted like me and you find it difficult to articulate how you feel. Putting pen to paper and airing out your thoughts in your diary, notebook or even your notes on your phone or laptop helps release the emotions. I've found that as I write down my thoughts, I can also then logically process the problem and think of some solutions to combat it.

• Being honest and realistic. Many a time I've had to acknowledge that I'm in this rut because I either had unrealistic expectations, I was unprepared or I was comparing myself to someone else🥴. I find it frustrating and disappointing to know that I did this to myself but it honestly stops me from playing the victim and blaming others for my choices. In saying all of this though, the next point is just as crucial.

• Being kind. My inner critic (or bully) can be really mean and she knows exactly what to say to get me to feel negative about myself, but I also know that I have the power to silence her by changing my thoughts and speaking well of myself, even if I don't believe it in that moment. The more I think and speak positive thoughts and dwell on what I know is true about me, who I am in Christ and the things I have achieved and deserve, the quieter the bully becomes.

• Perspective & Gratitude. I've found that it's difficult to have a bad day when I'm intentional about being grateful for what I have and where I am in life. I'm not where I want to be but I know I have a lot to be grateful for. Thinking about or writing down the things you're grateful for and the things you get to enjoy, the things that you prayed for and/or worked hard for, that helps shift the day's mood. My perspective changes when I remember that no matter how ugly my day feels, there's somebody else that's probably going through much worse than I am. That thought does not invalidate my bad day/s but it certainly helps me see that sometimes, things are not as bad as I make them out to be.

• Embracing feelings. Your feelings are yours and they are valid, pent up emotions will not do you any good. Cry, scream, shout, talk, run, workout, breathe, meditate, sleep on it if you have to, but for your own good, let it out!

"One of the quickest ways to become exhausted is by suppressing your feelings". Bill Vaughan

• Having a creative outlet. I find creating content for myself or for others really fun and it takes me out of the funk I'm in for a moment and pour my frustrations into exploring my creative energy.

• Exercising & drinking water. The holistic health benefits of hydrating and moving your body even for as little as 5-10 minutes daily are numerous. Growwithjo's channel on YouTube is now my go to when it comes to home workouts plus, she has so many different types of workout videos including dance videos that I particularly enjoy on a bad day!

• Having a great meal, need I say more? Delicious food on a crappy day always does something for my soul, it may not fix my problem but it will make me happy and I'm not mad at that.

• Shopping or window shopping. Just a little retail therapy even if it's just window shopping, still works the same lol. If I'm buying something, I don't even need a big budget, just the excitement of buying something or browsing online for my favourite pieces of clothing or accessories, for example, always lifts my spirits, even if it's just for but a brief moment, it's worth it!

Can you relate to any of the points above? How do you bounce back from bad days?

Catch you in the next post!

Chich