5 Things To Do When You’ve Had A Bad Day

Every single person, no matter how positive their outlook on life may be, will have bad days from time to time. Having a bad day is completely normal, but thankfully we’re usually able to lift our spirits again by partaking in some activities that bring us happiness. 

That being said, when you’re having a particularly bad day, things can seem a little hopeless. You might not be able to figure out what you want to do, nor find the motivation to do anything at all that might alleviate your feelings of frustration and tiredness. That’s where this blog post comes in. I’ve put together a list of 5 practical things that you can do to cheer you up when you’ve had a bad day. 

1 Schedule yourself some time away from it all to do things that are just for you.

When you’ve had a bad day, one of the first things to do is to allow yourself to have some time away from it all where you can relax. Schedule this time for yourself and stick to it as though it were a doctor’s appointment. It’s not always easy to fit time in for self-care, especially when we tend to lead such busy lifestyles, however, it’s vital to do so. Therefore, treating your self-care hour as an appointment ensures that you take the time to get away from it all and do something that’s just for you. 

2 Pursue your favourite hobby

So often we start hobbies that we love, but then end up neglecting our passions because life takes over. A brilliant way to bring you back to the present and reinforce the notion that one bad day isn’t the end of the world is to dive back into your most loved hobbies. Whether this is something creative such as painting or drawing, or something that takes you away from civilisation such as bird watching or hiking, dedicating time to the things that bring you happiness reminds us of all the good things we enjoy about our lives.

3 Relieve your stress by allowing yourself to have a pampering session.

We spend so much time looking after others that it’s easy for us to neglect ourselves sometimes. Treating yourself to some relaxing pampering time doesn’t mean you need to purchase an expensive trip to the spa; it does, however, mean that you need to allow yourself to relax and sit with your thoughts and emotions. Running yourself a nice big bubble bath, pouring your favourite drink, lighting your favourite candles, and setting up a feel-good TV show on Netflix will create a calming, uplifting atmosphere for you to unwind in. 

4 Call someone who will remind you of your good qualities.

Sometimes we just need to hear reassuring words from someone else, and that’s totally fine! If you’re having a hard day, calling up a friend or family member who loves you and is willing to listen to your woes can really turn a bad day around. Giving your self-esteem boosting friend a call to talk about your day, or even just to have a chat, can greatly influence your mood. Just make sure that you remind this person how much you love and appreciate them when you’ve finished venting!

5 List your gratitudes.

It’s really easy after a bad day to drown in those feelings of frustration and tiredness. It can easily feel like the world is against us, and that everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong. To counteract this unhelpful thinking style, try listing your gratitudes. Find some paper, or even better, begin journaling with these gratitudes, and create a list of all the things in life that you’re grateful for. Creating this gratitude list daily will help to reinforce those bad days are just that – bad days. Your list will remind you that there are plenty of amazing things to be thankful for in your life. 

A quick exercise to do daily, regardless of whether you’ve had a bad day or not, is to write down three things that you’re grateful for that day. Reading these back when you’re experiencing a low mood or having a bad day can really help you to put things back into perspective.