Make A Bad Day A Better Day With These Tips!

With the world being the way it is right now, rules changing, days becoming repetitive, and our normal life seeming but a distant memory, it can be easy for each day to feel like a bad day.

We almost feel like we have lost control and that doesn’t sit well. So, instead, I challenge you to take back your control. I challenge you to use my tips to make a bad day better. You deserve it and I’m here to help.

To begin, we are going to start small and not pressure ourselves. A great first step towards a better day is by focusing on what we can control and letting go of what we can’t.

Ways to feel more in control of your day

Notice your feelings – Don’t judge them or yourself for feeling them. Simply allow yourself to feel, perhaps record it in a journal and go easy on yourself. This is a difficult period, it’s okay if your feelings reflect that.
Complete one act of self-care a day– This can be anything that makes you feel good. A walk, a cup of tea, a bubble bath, a book, or a phone call. Carve out time each day to look after yourself. You deserve it.
Keep focused that this is temporary – It is difficult right now but it won’t last forever. It will change and things will improve. It may not always feel like it but advances are being made each day and it’s important you continue to remind yourself this is temporary.
Keep it simple and mindful – The only thing to manage is today, and even that should be in chunks. Focus on what makes you feel good, what techniques make you feel better, and what you can control.
Be mindful of what you saturate your mind with – Make choices on how much news you consume, articles you read and social media you follow. Bad news sells stories so be mindful of falling into that trap. Focus on the positives out there and limit your news consumption to once a day.

How to worry less

Focusing on what you can control will help with this. However, I understand that during these difficult times, worry is a feeling we are experiencing more often than not. Some degree of worry can be healthy. However, when it’s unhealthy is when it’s constant or over-exaggerated.

We can often tell ourselves that worry is better for us in the long run, as it helps prepare us for something going wrong or can stop bad things from happening. This simply isn’t the case.

90% of what you will worry about will never come to anything. This statistic is backed by science and proves that worrying is a waste of your precious time and energy. Worry also doesn’t make for a better day.

I appreciate this doesn’t necessarily lessen your worry. So instead, here are my top three tips for worrying less…

Recognise you have fallen into your worry pattern – Like any pattern in our lives it can be changed. The first step to managing and overcoming it, is first to recognise it is a worry and not your reality.
Don’t over-engage the worry with thought – A worry pattern is like creating a snowball. You can spiral into what if, what if, what if. The worry can build and escalate and overwhelm you easily. Therefore, it’s important to engage less with your worry pattern and discharge it early. Take your control back.
Make a worry list – Write down a list of what you are worried about and if you can’t control it, cross it off your list. Having your worries laid out in front of you, will not only make them easier to manage, it will also prove to you you are probably worrying about things you can’t control.
Keep an eye on how your mind is dealing with unpredictability – The catastrophic mind can jump in when we worry, creating that snowballing pattern. It’s important to notice these types of thoughts and reframe them. For example, take a thought like, “this is horrible and overwhelming” and reframe it into something like “I’m keeping myself and others as safe and possible, there is a vaccine and things will improve”.

By taking back control of your day and managing your worry effectively, you can make a bad day better.

If you want further support around improving your mood and well-being, you can find my book Ten Times Happier here.

If you want to explore healthier habits for living and managing uncertainty, you can find my book Ten to Zen here.

Take care, look after yourself and I’ll speak to you soon.

Owen

P.S. For regular tips on looking after your mental health and well-being, follow me on my social media, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.