How to Calm Down After a Negative Day

Research shows that chronic stress can cause muscle tension, lower the immune system, raise blood pressure and potentially lead to life-threatening illnesses like heart attacks, cancer and kidney disease. Stress, anxiety, anger and frustration can cause you to have a bad day. Fortunately, there are several ways to cope with a bad day and to prevent it from seriously affecting your health.

Instructions

• 1

  Take a breather. Go for a long walk, take a bubble bath or read a good book with a glass of wine or a hot cup of tea. Give yourself time to unwind and relax and do something for yourself that will calm your mind and body. Exercising can have a positive impact on your mood, as well as increase your energy. Go to bed early so you can wake up refreshed and ready for the day tomorrow.

• 2

  Write about it. Sometimes getting your thoughts down on paper can help you work through them. Express your stress, anger and frustration through your writing so you can release the tension in your mind and body. Make a list of the things that are bugging you or the situations that made you feel stressed out. Reflect back on what you wrote and see if there are ways to resolve the situation or better ways to cope with similar situations in the future.

• 3

  Look on the bright side. It may not be what you want to hear, but remember that no matter how bad it is, things can always be worse. Everyone is prone to having bad days. Do not expect perfection; instead, accept that perhaps you did not do your best today or that it was not a day you care to remember. Remember the people and things you are grateful for and fortunate to have in your life.

• 4

  Focus on the future. Remember that the bad day you had is only temporary. Rather than fixate on it, regroup and focus on your goals for the rest of the week, month or year. Think about what you hope to accomplish as a way to stay motivated after a bad day. Remind yourself of what you have to look forward to and think about what lies ahead for you. Do not dwell on what happened. Learn from your mistakes, stay positive and move forward.