Overcoming a Bad Day

We all have bad days. Overcoming a bad day isn’t easy. The kind of day that starts off with missing an alarm, awakening to a kinked neck, stumbling out of bed to find that someone else is in the bathroom… Sounds familiar right?

Some people have this experience once in a great while and others know it as a regular part of life.

No matter how often or infrequent, a bad day can leave a mark. Our behavior can be impacted in negative ways if we are not careful. We might make rude comments or callous decisions. It could be, we are so distracted by our own issues that we neglect to see the needs of others. We might say negative things about ourselves or about others. We might even curse the day.

For those of us, who have had the opportunity to come close to death or at least, feel like they might die long enough to really contemplate what it means to live, every day is an opportunity. You only get this one chance. One chance for what? You might ask. And that’s just it. This day is an open, undefined opportunity.

You and I are the ones who decide what the day will hold. Oh, sure, we have commitments, demands, and requirements, but how those play out is completely up to us.

So far, I have had two bad days this week. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say that I had some choices to make about what I would say and do in the midst of some difficulties. It’s work. It takes thoughtful effort while overcoming a bad day. Here are a few perspectives.

• It doesn’t come easy to be kind when you are in pain. Do it anyway.
• Reaching out to others can seem like a burden when issues are bogging us down. Think of others.
• Taking the time to actually listen to someone when our to-do list is long requires effort. Focus.
• Slowing ourselves down enough to think through a response before answering is always best.
• Last minute chores seldom take a quick minute. Expect the unexpected.
• Taking a deep breath and thirty seconds of repose could turn it all around.
• Really step back and ask yourself what is important.
• Don’t let the superficial, seemingly urgent tasks deter you from doing what is actually important.

So, have a nice day.