So, what makes you have a bad or sad day? Traffic tie-ups? Someone being mean to you? Getting up on the wrong side of the bed? Running behind schedule? Needing chocolate when there's none in the house? A life-changing event? Had a bad dream? In need of a pity party? Do you look for someone to blame or recognize your bad/sad day as self-inflicted because if we're being honest aren't most of them self-inflicted? Something isn't going our way or someone isn't doing what we want them to do? Not that there aren't external causes. I mean, menopause can be a b#tch and I didn't exactly have a fantastic day when Mother passed in May but mostly, my bad/sad days are self-inflicted if I look at them closely.
Regardless of why, we do have those days and I'll share a few thoughts on how to get through them because Y'all, we do have to get through them.
- Just go with it. That's right. Sometimes we just have to go with a bad or sad day because sometimes crying it out or whatever you need to do is the only remedy. Venting, crying, an extreme workout, anything that will, in the end, make us feel better.
- Music, loud. The genre completely depends on the type of bad/sad day I'm having so it could go from classical to rock and anything in-between except country, metal or hip-hop. Those last three simply do not appeal to me with the exception of a few songs otherwise it would probably add to my bad day. Ha!
- A sad movie. Yep, sad movies will bring me right out of a bad or sad day because they make me cry and because they usually depict lives way sadder than my own.
- Alone time. I love my alone time and if I could have it all the time (excluding holidays and other family gatherings) I'd probably never have bad days but I'm not sure about the sad days.
- Get up and move. It doesn't have to be exercise but moving around is helpful even if it's just taking a stroll outside. A nature walk is good for me as long as I don't run into other people.
- Put things into perspective. Now, this one doesn't always work for me especially if my bad or sad day involves a pity party, however, making a list of the positives is helpful at times. I do find making a list of positives at night can be a deterrent to having a bad/sad day the next day. I remind myself that things could have almost always been worse.
- Meditation/Prayer can work wonders. It gives us a little time out from everything else and helps us refocus.
- If talking it out helps you, call a friend and talk away. I'm a bit too private for this one but I am a great listener and just listening is helpful to some friends.
- Try to identify your triggers behind the bad/sad day and explore them when you are not feeling down or upset. This can be especially helpful in preventing some future bad/sad days. Although, I feel having a bad or sad day every once in a while is a good thing. But that's me.
- JournalJournalJournal. I had a few super bad years a while back. Not the kind where every single day was bad but it was a bad, and often sad, time. I journaled like a mad dog through those years and it helped way more than I ever thought it would. All those things we feel we can't say or don't because we're private people or because we're venting and not looking for conversation or judgment can be written down page after page, journal after journal and you can come out feeling much better on the other side.
- Suck-it-up. No, I'm not being mean or unfeeling here but some days we just have to suck-it-up and do our thing. I found on days I have to suck-it-up, my bad/sad either goes away or it sits on the back burner until I have time to give it attention because if I don't give some of the bad/sad feelings attention they're going to come up again at a most inopportune time.
I know y'all have more suggestions and I would love for you to share them in the comments. Of course, if we find ourselves in a bad/sad day that truly never ends it may be time to seek some professional help and I assure you there is no shame in that.
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