We all have those days, sometimes weeks, when it feels like your life is upside down and you feel like everything is going wrong. You are not depressed, just overwhelmed and a bit downcast. It all started on Monday when you overslept and realized you have forgotten the washing in the machine and now your favourite feelgood Monday shirt is just a wet mess.
From there everything went downhill. You were telling your best friend at work about your disastrous morning, when your manager walked in with that look on his face and an armful of work for you with deadlines that left you breathless. All the people on the road can’t drive, the people in the shops are all without manners… Hold on!
The moment you feel as if everybody else is in the wrong, then it is time to take a step back to find yourself again for an important attitude adjustment.
You see it is so easy to fall back on the blame game and playing the victim in your own personal drama, but it will only make things worse. The old saying misery loves company still holds true today. Instead of letting yourself fall into a bad mood and mishaps that can last all week, rather try these tips:
- Deep breathing – If you are in the midst of a traffic jam or standing in that everlasting line at a checkout point, it is good to just take a few deep breaths then and there. This will help to calm you down a bit. Instead of letting your impatience get the better of you, think of your favourite song, TV-show or person. Get your mind of the situation and onto better things.
- Make sure you always have some good music or a motivational cd in the car. Something that will cheer you up. Focus on the music. Sing along. It’s your car, nobody can hear you!
- Listen to a positive message from one of your favourite motivational speakers. Refocus your mind away from your problems and on what the person is saying.
- When you get home, set aside 30 minutes for a relaxing bath, even if you normally only take showers. Just relax and try to enjoy the moment without thinking about all the negative things that happened.
- Call a friend, or even better, make a coffee date with a friend and go out. Not to talk about all the things that have been going wrong lately, but just to laugh and enjoy his/her company.
- Keep a thankfulness journal. Make sure to write down 5 things every day that you are thankful for. On the days that you feel a bit down, read it again.
- Play. If you have children play a silly game with them. If there are not any children around get some friends together and play some silly card games or get that old board games out of the closet.
- If you are really stuck with lots of work and don’t have the time to play or really relax, at least make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and take 5 minutes to really enjoy it. Write some things down that you are looking forward to doing after the work is done and the pressure is less.
- Plan your next holiday. Even if you don’t have the money or the time to actually go on holiday now, spend some time on holiday sites. Plan when you are going to take leave, who you are going to spend it with, where you will be going and what you will be doing.
- Although not all people like this one, those who do it, swear by it… go and work in the garden. Water the plants. Plant some new ones. Prune some old ones. It will get your mind off all those negative things.
- Another thing that not all people like to do, but one of those things that really work and is essential for your health, is exercise.
- Escape to another world by reading a book or watching your favourite movie again. Although if you are really feeling down, experts do advice that you rather do something active in stead of just sitting passively in front of the TV.
- Try a new hobby, be that to try and bake cookies just as your grandma used to do or taking up knitting, weaving or a new sport like golf or fishing, skydiving or skiing.
- Meditate. Calm your thoughts and go to your happy place.
- If you are a believer, pray… not to ask a bunch of things, but to give thanks and praise.
- If all the above fails, let yourself cry. Sometimes it is the best medicine to just get all the build-up emotions and frustrations out. Just try and do it when you are at home. This is not recommended at work or between strangers.
- Think about positive things before you go to sleep.
- When you wake up in the morning don’t think “aggghhh nooo another work day” or something horrible like that. Re-programme yourself to say something positive like “this is going to be a wonderful day. I can feel it.” It might feel forced in the beginning but keep on doing it and it will eventually become a habit.
- Learn to laugh at all the little mishaps that sometimes happen. So, you spilled coffee on your blouse just before the meeting, it was just a mishap not the end of the world.
- Smile more, frown less. Laugh whenever you can. The more you do that the more feel good hormones will be released into your brain.
Yes, life sometimes can be hard and yes, there are lots of negative things happening all around. Don’t let it get you down. Be the one person in a world of negativity who focus on the positive, who doesn’t see every small mishap as a calamity, who take the good and the bad in your stride. Be the friendly one. Be the smiling one. Just as negativity can spread like a wildfire, a positive attitude can do too!
