Having a Bad Day? What You Do Next Makes All the Difference.

What happens when you wake up to a bad day?

Or a string of bad days… or a long stretch of them?

We all have them, don’t we? Days when our less favorable human behavior surfaces.

I usually write about fairly positive and upbeat topics, but there are days in this experience called life…

Days when I’m tempted to go on a rant and let my inner sub-human come out of hiding.

I write about humans and human behavior a lot… because, well um, I’m one too.

And I find us humans fascinating at times.

You can relate, right?

One of the few Influencers I follow on LinkedIn had a post today on this very thing.

First, I’m human and sometimes I’m going to wake up as a grouch and go to sleep that way, too. Instead of holding myself to an impossible standard, it makes more sense to get a good night’s sleep and aim for better tomorrow.”

–Bruce Kasanoff, Social Media Ghostwriter

Admitting to being human with occasional bad days, he said his strategy is to try to shorten their duration “by a day or two.” Seems like a good approach to me. What do you think?

Here’s the most impactful line in his post… 

I remind myself that there are plenty of people willing to tell others what’s wrong with the world…”

You know, I’ve barely turned on the television this week for that exact reason. It’s been making me become even more of a sub-human.

It’s been taxing my good nature for long enough.

So, what can we do besides turn the TV off when we have a stretch of those days?

Unfortunately, there’s no magic, one-size-fits-all-situations answer. But there are some tweaks and adjustments that can help.

Reframing the situation can be extremely helpful… that is, seeing it from a different perspective. (Don’t worry, we’re not going for lemons to lemonade platitudes in this post).

For example…

• Accepting that sometimes we’re dealt a bad hand. It happens. Know that many bad hands are still playable, however. Folding isn’t always the only move and often it’s not even the best move.
• Remember a time when you’ve been there before, and you’ve seen it through to the end. You’re here today as evidence that you survived once before.
• Ask yourself, “Do I have a choice I might be overlooking?” We always have more choices that we initially believe.
• Gain some momentum by thinking of one good step you can take to make the situation better. Then take another.
• Never dismiss the power of simply taking a break. Give yourself fifteen minutes outside to take a walk (and leave the phone behind).

Accepting that there will be times we must hunker down and push through can also see us through.

After unexpectedly losing a very close friend a couple of years ago, another very good friend who’s endured some bumps in his own road shared this counsel…

Embrace what you’re going through.”

We grow through tough times, whether a few days or a longer stretch. When we embrace what we’re going through, we’re able to grow and gain strength from the experience.

Bad days and tough stretches come and go.

Being prepared with the right frame of mind can help us through.

The holidays are approaching… tune in to those around you. Especially those who may need a hand or a shoulder. As wonderful as they are, the holidays have a way of bringing that out for many.

Be untucked and be well.

How do you handle your inevitable bad days?

Would you like to know when I post? I’ll send you weekly reminders, so you don’t miss a post… Click Here.

Copyright © 2019 Jeff Meister