How to Cope With a Bad Day

Since humans have an average lifespan of 30,000 to 40,000 days, the odds are good that at least a good handful of those days will be lousy. Some say that if you are not having a bad day, that means you are either coming out of one or heading into another. While you do not need to have such a glum outlook on life, there are steps you can take to overcome a bad day when one strikes.

Instructions

• 1

  Remind yourself that whatever you are dealing with is only temporary. Think back to another really bad day or period of time in your life, noting that the whole thing is now nothing but a memory. Repeat to yourself that, as every second ticks away, today will soon be history.

• 2

  Shut yourself away in your car, your bedroom, or the bathroom–anywhere you can be alone and undisturbed. Crank up the radio or your MP3 player, blasting songs that speak to you. If you feel like screaming to an angry playlist, go for it. If you just want some sad songs to cry to, that is OK, too. Just let it all out, knowing that someone else shared these feelings, wrote a song about it, and got through it.

• 3

  Call off from work, put on your comfiest jammies and climb into bed with your remote and a bowl of mint chocolate chip. Treat yourself the way you would your very best friend or precious child. You are valuable and deserve to be treated as such. As long as it is not an everyday thing, you can indulge yourself.

• 4

  Find someone who is having a worse day than you and help them. Volunteer to serve food at your local homeless shelter. Read the local section of your paper. No doubt there is an accident victim who might benefit from a pint of your blood, or a family whose home has burned down and would appreciate your small donation.

• 5

  Look for five good things about this day. Your job might be stressful, but the just laid-off man whose wife is in the hospital would trade spots with you in a heartbeat. Your house might need repairs, your significant other may get on your nerves, and your children might cause you constant worry. For every one of those concerns there is something to be grateful for. By focusing on the positive your attitude will adjust and the day will immediately seem brighter.