We've all had those days, maybe you spilled coffee all over your new pants when you were already 15 minutes late, had an awful meeting with a client, or maybe you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or it's also just 2020 and every day is a new form of cruel and unusual. So often when I am in a bad mood, it's tough to get out of it. I decided to create a list of things I do to turn a bad day around and make it happier.
Do a random act of kindness
Doing a random act of kindness is a guaranteed way to improve your day and y'all know how I feel about being thoughtful in relationships from this post. It’s amazing how this works because technically, you are not doing anything for yourself to improve your day – you are just doing something for someone else. But, when you see someone else so happy and thankful (or even if you don’t see it), and you know that you are the reason for that happiness, it automatically puts you in a good mood. If you don’t know where to start when doing an act of kindness, let me give you a few ideas! You could:
- If you are in the coffee line, ask them to let you pay for the person waiting behind you.
- Bring coffee or breakfast to a coworker
- Give a healthy meal to a homeless person
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen
- Walk dogs at a shelter
- Donate blankets to the needy (in the winter)
- Help someone with a task they cannot perform on their own
Write a list of positives
When you are in a bad mood, get out of your head and make yourself focus on the positives, instead. What is something that made you happy recently? Give yourself a chance to point out the positive in your life. It can really help! If this doesn't help, then maybe you can twist this up a little bit. First, write out what is making you upset. It’s okay to cry, too.Then, write how you are going to fix the situation. How can you try to make it better? After you write that down, you can begin your happy list. Write down things that make you smile, no matter what it is. Thinking about positive things is a definite way to make you feel happier, even on your worst days.
Listen to your favorite song
This is simple and doesn’t need much of an explanation. Turn on your favorite song and maybe pop out a few of your best (or worst) dance moves. Whatever makes you happy! I prefer to choose a really catchy song – something that makes me want to get off my seat and bust out the good moves. Singing and dancing along really gets your mind off of the negative.
Do something to take your mind off of the bad
Everything I have listed will hopefully take your mind off of the bad, but sometimes you just need an extra step to get in your good mood. Think about what you can do to take your mind to a better place. Maybe it is something that makes you concentrate on that thing alone and not your bad mood – workouts like Pure Barre claim that it’s 55 minutes dedicated to yourself and that you leave feeling relaxed and refreshed. Sometimes just a great walk outside is enough to set your mood right. Or, maybe it’s just getting in bed, watching a movie, and calling it a day. That is always a winner in my book!
Get ready for bed
When the day is finally over and you are ready to get in bed and start a new day in the morning, really take the time to focus on yourself, wind down, and get fresh so that you can feel like tomorrow is a clean slate. When I have a really bad day, sometimes some yoga or light stretching can really help me relax. Then, I hop in the shower to get fresh and wash my face and brush my teeth. The routine of winding down really helps me relax and prepare for a new, better day tomorrow.
What are your tricks to turn your bad day around and make it happier?
I want to give a big thank you to Dr. Gary Simms for sponsoring this post. Metro Decatur Dental Group PC is dedicated to providing the most up to date general, orthodontic and family dentistry. Dr. Simms' Clinic has grown to provide a world class facility for the treatment of tooth loss, dental cosmetics and advanced restorative dentistry and is located conveniently in Decatur, GA..
