To say this week was a frustrating one would be an understatement. Do you ever have days or weeks like that? It feels like one big practical joke is being played on you when nothing seems to go the way you’d like. I like to keep things positive especially with ‘joy’ being a major part of my brand 😉 but sometimes I just have to tell it how it is! Some of this week’s *highlights* are:

• Spending 5+ hours on a support ticket within 48 hours and still not finding a resolution
• My husband’s truck getting hit and the offender driving off
• Receiving news that a project I’ve been working on for 8+ months has a bug that is potentially not fixable and I might have to completely start over

So as you can imagine, it’s been ‘one of those’ weeks. I love to check things off the list and I feel like I’ve been hitting a wall with many things on my list.

Disclaimer: I realize that we all go through different levels of frustration and pain in our life and I am not trying to make my problems seem greater than anyone else’s. I have been through very traumatic things in my life and I recognize that these highlights are not on the same level as things like losing a loved one, going through a dark season or losing a job. I just want to recognize that it’s okay to be upset about things and the following tips are my best advice to make the best of things!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about my best tips on what to do when you’ve had a bad day.

Workout

I typically am not ‘in the mood’ to go workout, especially after a bad day. This is where discipline comes in throughout the week on a regular basis. But your body will love you if you do some exercise and release those happy endorphins!

My recommendation: Burn Boot Camp. I have been going for 2+ years since the very first pop up camp in my area and this is my favorite way to get exercise. It’s in a group setting and the workouts are different every day. Also, we high five each other (air fives during the pandemic) throughout the workout to celebrate the fact that we are kicking butt at our workouts.

Eat a healthy meal

This is a great follow-up to the previous suggestion. Food is fuel and when you are already feeling down about your day, it’s easy to grab something that tastes good to ‘treat yourself’ but it can leave you feeling even worse. I am no health expert but I know that when I eat a meal filled with nutritious food, I feel better and take ‘being hangry’ out of the equation.

Drink something tasty but not terrible for you

This is another instance where we might want to go for a glass of wine to wind down but my suggestion would be to choose a beverage that tastes good and is still decent for you. Alcohol can be a go to for many people to take the edge off but it’s not the best thing to be drinking especially when you’re already down.

My suggestion: Medicine ball (copycat of the Starbucks recipe) This is my go-to drink when I want to feel cozy and have a little pick-me-up. It’s especially great for when you feel sick.

How I make it:

• Hot water
• Splash of lemonade
• Teavana Peach Tranquility tea bag
• Teavana Jade Citrus Mint tea bag
• Honey

Spend time doing something you love

It’s a good idea to keep a go-to list of things that make you happy. I have a list in my bullet journal titled ‘happy list’ because I use it as a reference when I’m feeling not-so-happy and need a reminder of the things I love to do.

I love being in my planner or looking up new ways to organize my notion website – but this could be anything for you! A goal of mine this year was to find some new hobbies that I enjoy and this has been very helpful especially when I’ve had a bad day. It’s nice to have an activity that you can go to just because.

Pray

If you have a relationship with God then you already know the power of prayer. It’s simply us talking to God. When I have a bad day I will simply tell Him “Today sucked – this, this, and this happened and I’m frustrated about it.” He listens and he cares. Even if it seems like the dumbest little thing, tell God and let it strengthen your relationship with him that much more.

Talk to someone

You know when you’re at the end of the day and you fill your spouse / significant other / friend in on what happened during the day? Even if it’s a brief version it always feels better to share it with someone. If I have a bad day I will typically talk to my husband or mom (or both) about it. Even if they listen and give no advice, sometimes that’s really all that’s needed. I don’t need them to solve the world’s problems for me – I just need to get it off my chest and know that someone understands and cares.

Those are my top tops on things to do when you’ve had a bad day! Do you have any that work well for you, that I might not have mentioned? If so, let me know in the comments. Thanks so much for reading!