Regardless of who you are, what you have and how you feel most of the time…you're bound to have a day here and there where you can't seem to ditch the gray cloud that's hanging above your head. Not a single soul is perfectly content all of the time. Nope, not even Oprah Winfrey or Ellen Degeneres. Experiencing a myriad of different emotions is part of what makes us human.
Feeling lousy at times is 100% normal. However, feeling crummy in one moment doesn't mean you have to continue to feel that way in the moments, days, weeks, months or years to follow. Even on those days when nothing is going as expected, people are being annoying, you feel like a blob, or everything reminds you of that one person… there are things you can do to take back your power and begin to see a light in the darkness.
Don't know where to start?
No worries, I've got your back.
Here are 5 things to try the next time you find yourself having a bad day.
1. Pick the Next Best Thought
Let's face it, positive thoughts are hard to come by during tough times. In fact, sometimes it can feel like a positive thought doesn't exist within a thousand mile radius of where we stand. When we are on the lowest rung of the vibration ladder, reaching for thoughts on the highest rung only leaves us empty handed and feeling even more frustrated. That's why it's best to focus on reaching for the thought that feels the best at that moment.
For example, if someone were thinking the thought, "I have the worst coworkers," they could switch their thought to one that holds neither a positive or negative charge, such as, "I have co-workers," or, "I have a job."
This neutral thought works to level the emotional playing field around the situation. From a neutral standpoint, we can then work on climbing the rungs of the vibrational ladder. To do this, we must simply keep choosing the thought that feels best in each moment. As our vibration rises, positive thoughts become more readily available and we can begin using them to feel better.
2. Do Something Nice For Someone Else
Seriously, this one works every time.
Doing something nice for someone else works wonders when it comes to shifting our focus and silencing the "itty bitty shitty committee" in our head. This doesn't have to be an extravagant act. In fact, it can be as simple as smiling at a stranger or calling your mom to tell her that you love her.
When we are kind towards others, we raise our own vibration by giving rather than taking. This tip is great because it has the power to create a chain reaction of feel-good energy that gets passed on to more and more people in the world.
3. Change Your State
If you're at all familiar with the work of Tony Robbins then you'll definitely recognize this tip. One of the most effective ways for us to lift our spirits and get ourselves out of a slump is for us to change our state. When we change the state of our physical body, our mind follows suit. Pent-up emotions and negative energy get released as we are brought to the present moment. This tip is more effective if the activity is of high intensity. Things like spin classes, ice-cold showers, dancing or Kundalini yoga are great options.
4. Let it Out
We all know what happens when things have been bottled up for too long…they go bad, begin to smell funny, and sometimes even start forcing their way out. The same goes for negative emotions that we keep locked up inside. Closing off our hearts and shoving the feelings we don't want to face deep down into the depths of our being is a sure fire way to feeling even worse later on.
Sometimes all we need to do to feel better is to literally rid ourselves of that negative energy that's bottled up inside. It's like throwing up, really. If we're angry we can punch the bed, scream into a pillow or yell in the car with the windows up. If we're sad we can bawl our eyes out and make all sorts of ugly crying noises. If we're feeling guilty we can write an apology letter to whomever we hurt.
Cry it out, scream it out, write it out, yell it out, punch it out, talk it out… whatever form of catharsis works, do it.
5. Acceptance
Refusing to address our uncomfortable emotions is about as effective as trying to push a beach ball under water. The more we try to shove them underneath the surface, the more they are going to keep popping back up.
Accepting our negative emotions by acknowledging them and making space for them allows us to eventually release them for good. Denying our feelings and getting mad at ourselves for having them only further amplifies the bad vibes. The last thing we need when everything feels wrong is to make ourselves feel like there is something wrong with us.
Thoughts, feelings, and emotions all have a purpose. They let us know what parts of ourselves are struggling and could use a little TLC. Self-care always yields better results than self-criticism.
Of course, there are far more than 5 things we can do to feel better on bad days, but these are some of my mine and my clients' favorites. We all have bummer days. We all have crap that we NEED to go through to become the people we are meant to be. Our wounds are where the light shines through. We must treat ourselves with even more love on the days when nothing is going right, because the more that we love ourselves, the more our lives work. As Gabby Bernstein says, "Lean towards joy and you will be led."
Now, I want to hear from you!
Have you tried any of these things before?
Do you have any great go-to tips for feeling better on bad days?
Let me know in the comments below!