By Paige Leigh Reist | Posted: December 06, 2018

We’ve all had those days.

Days when you sleep through your alarm, when you spill coffee on your favorite work shirt, when the guy behind you in traffic isn’t paying attention and crunches right into your bumper. Or maybe it’s a day when you’re sick, and arguing with your partner over something trivial, and you’re so distracted that you put a new red shirt into the wash with your white towels and they’re all pink now. Maybe all the little things have been building up, and you find yourself stressed out at work, stressed out at home, and stressed out in between.

Or maybe your bad day is a little more serious. Maybe you get laid off, or even fired, or you hear bad news about a friend or a family member. Maybe it’s one of those days where the state of the world, politics, the environment, and social issues just seems too monumentally messed-up to fathom, and you feel hopeless, sad, and scared.

Whatever it is that is causing your bad day, remember that although you can’t control the world around you, you can control how you react to it. Here are eight strategies to help you navigate your next bad day and turn it around.

1. Breathe

Take a few moments to escape the whirl of life, and just be. Deep breathing has numerous health benefits, including stress reduction. Kick it up a notch with breathwork meditation, and you might even find yourself with more resilience for when your next bad day rears its head.

2. Take it bird by bird

I always find that breaking things down to their smallest tasks makes even the most seemingly insurmountable problems so much easier to wrap my mind around. Writer Anne Lamott shares a great anecdote:

“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”

When life is overwhelming, just take it bird by bird, task by task. Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself in a better place.

3. Get into nature

It’s no secret that nature is good for your body, mind, and soul. Being out in nature helps calm your mind, clarify your thoughts, and lift your spirits. If you can, spend a bit of time walking through a park or sitting on a riverbank with a journal, and you might that your whole day improves.

4. Spend time with furry friends

The world can’t be all bad when there’s a purring mass of furry cat in your lap. Studies have shown that people with pets might even live longer lives, and for many reasons: pets reduce stress, strengthen your immune system, and make for fulfilling and meaningful relationships. If you don’t have any furry friends, pay a visit to a friend who does, volunteer for your local shelter, or even just sit back and watch a few cute animal videos.

5. Indulge in some me-time

Sometimes, you really just need a break. So often, we feel guilty for indulging in some quality me-time, but a sure way to turn your bad day around is to lock out the outside world and just focus on yourself for a little bit. Crack open that novel you’ve been meaning to read, brew yourself a cup of your favorite tea, and turn off your phone. Do something completely unproductive and enjoyable for a little bit, and your mood is sure to lift.

6. Splash your face with cold water

We’ve got a pretty cool reflex called the mammalian diving response: when our faces meet with cold water, the trigeminal nerves of the face connect to our vagus nerve, and send signals that slow our heart rate down. This is a great trick to calm down when you’re feeling out of control, and it’s very refreshing to boot.

7. Let yourself feel what you’re feeling.

Don’t fear your negative emotions. You’re allowed to be angry, sad, and frustrated, despite what common knowledge might dictate. These emotions are important, and you need to understand why you’re feeling them. You have to learn to navigate the dark forest of your mind in order to find your way out of it. Let yourself feel what you’re feeling, and use that knowledge to make a plan.

8. Do something kind.

Kindness doesn’t always have to mean performing a grand gesture--leave a nice comment on a friend’s latest Instagram post, help your neighbor bring in their groceries, or make a small donation to your favorite charity or a worthy funding campaign. You’ll feel much better for spreading a bit of goodness into the world, and you might make an impact on someone else’s bad day, too.

Next time you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, keep these eight strategies in mind to help turn your day around and reclaim a bit of positivity. Bad days are inevitable, but the one thing that you have control over is how you respond to them!

Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, blogger, and writing instructor.