How to make a Bad Day better.

It was a cold, grey and drizzly weekend. Winter had just begun, and this was a reminder of what was potentially in store for a while to come. I had promised myself to get some writing done and just wasn't feeling it. I was tired and could sense my mood slipping. Well, (un)luckily, this isn't a new thing for me. In fact, I am so familiar that I am writing a book about it at the moment - The Bad Day Playbook: What to do when everything sucks.

Time to put it to the test.

You might remember what the book is about from previous posts, but here is the snapshot. A Bad Day approaches. You ask yourself the following three Yes or No questions. Then you look in the book for suggested actions to move you through your Bad Day, either by staying stuck and grumpy, trying to understand what's causing it, or distracting yourself.

The book has oodles of suggestions for things you can do—because when I get on the Bad Day spiral, my stressed-out brain can't see any options, which is why I started writing all this stuff down. Whatever you choose helps—at least a little—because of three important words, which, as luck would have it, all start with A. And who doesn't love a bit of alliteration?

Awareness

You have named it. It's a Bad Day - or whatever term you use: getting out the wrong side of the bed, feeling crappy, having my grumpy pants on, one of those days. And that's awesome because, as Dr Phil says, you've gotta name it to claim it.

If you remain unaware, you go around spreading your bad day like a virus—and we've had enough of those. While it can be tricky to call out at first, the more you do, the easier and earlier you can catch this stuff.

Agency

Now you are aware, you get to decide what to do. And from my perspective, you have total agency over this. You can choose to stay stuck and be all Bad Day-y. That is your choice. But it does have consequences.

You may spiral down the Bad Day ladder and make a temporary situation more difficult to get out of. Or you could hurt other people in the meantime. But it is your choice, and having a choice is better than having no choice. So, at least there's that. The Day isn't completely Bad after all.

Action

Having identified the problem, a Bad Day, and choosing the type of thing you want to do, you can do it—even if that's doing absolutely nothing. But maybe it's taking a breath, watching Netflix, going for a run, chatting with a friend in the park, or finding a karaoke booth and singing it out.

That day, I checked to see if I needed a snack or a cuppa in case I was feeling low because of a drop in blood sugar. I sat down to the warm hug of a chai and thought about what I wanted to do. For the first wee while, that is all I did - deliberately sat and did nothing. Then I decided to phone a friend and put away just one or two things in the kitchen, as it gets a little messy when I'm a bit low.

This time, that was enough to spur my mood—a snack, a moment to reflect, an organising activity, and connecting with someone who cares about me. As I continued through the day, the weight continued to lift. And while it's not always this straightforward, having a sense of control certainly helps.

Taking back control on a Bad Day may not be easy, but it's as simple as 1,2,3 and like a small battery— AAA —it can recharge you and help you find some positive energy to move ahead with the day.