Learning How to Cope With Those ‘Bad’ Days

Life has it’s ups and downs. Everyone has their good days and we all come across those days where we feel luck is definitely not on our side. I have had my fair share of bad days in my life, and I can honestly say with time, I’ve learnt how to cope with them better. I tend to carry the weight of stress on my shoulders everyday and I tend to stress and worry about the smallest things in life. I am the type of person who brings the stressors of one aspect of my life into other aspects of my life. No one wants to be around a sour puss all the time. You may not realise it, but when you are down, and upset you tend to carry a negative energy around with you. That may not be your intention, but I have been that person who has brought negative energy around with them, without intending to. I have also been that person who is around other people who are stressed and upset all the time. Realising this has made me realise the situation at hand and discover how can I fix it and what can I do to over come these stressors. No one wants to be that person and everyone loves being around people who are happy and easy going. I know for myself, I am funny, easy going, and such a hyper person. Why aren’t I showing that side of myself all the time and everyday? Am i going to let one bad day, or one bad moment ruin it? Is the situation that happened really going to put a negative spin on my entire day? Now don’t get me wrong, unfortunately there are circumstances that are upsetting in life that we have to learn to cope with in different ways. I am talking about learning how to deal with those days when you wake up, you have a little brother that annoys you and throws your day off. Or you get an upsetting email of phone call at work and you carry that stress on your shoulders for the rest of the day. Really? is whatever that person said to you going to ruin the rest of your day? I don’t think so, but I will say, I was that person for the longest time and sometimes still am. Luckly throughout the years I have learnt how to cope. Here is what I have found works for me.

1.Yoga

Everyone always told me yoga helps with stress, it is a good form of meditation and relaxation. I always thought how does standing on your head or balancing your body with one arm relaxing? Which is a question I am sure is arising with a lot of you right now. Fact: yoga relaxes the body 100%. When I gave yoga a go I never turned back. Yoga is an art form of muscle relaxation that helps calm the mind body and soul. I am serious, I am not trying to get all voodoo and holistic on you. You don’t even need to be flexible, and at the start it has nothing to do with flexibility. Yoga is being able to stretch your muscles, and relax your mind. Being able to focus on your breathing and forget every negative thought. If you don’t believe me try it! Grab a yoga mat, work-out cloths, and a quiet space and start practicing! It may take you a couple of takes but eventually you will get the hang of it.

2.Laugh

Yes that’s right I said laugh. Easier said than done right? Trust me I know. I’ve been in the situation when I wasn’t having a good day and someone patted me on the back and said “Just be happy, put a smile on”. When your down, the last thing you need is someone taunting you, because that definitely will not work! When I say laughing I mean find something you like doing, do something that will MAKE you want to laugh. Laughing is the cure for everything! For myself I love to watch Ellen Degenerous. I think she is the funniest and most up beat person I know. She can turn a frown upside down any day for me! If Ellen doesn’t do it for you, call up some friends and grab a glass of wine, or go for a walk with your dog, ANYTHING! Trust me, after a good laugh you probably won’t even know why your mad, and if you do, it probably won’t matter as much to you anymore.

3.Reflect

Gavin always tells me, if your upset, write it down. Writing down feelings can be very therapeutic because it helps to let your emotions out in a different way. I’ve done this quite a few times and it actually helped a lot. You don’t even need to have anyone read it, it could just be for you. If you would like to have someone read it and there is someone who is bugging you and you don’t know how to verbally express your emotions to them, sometimes writing up a letter or am email expressing how you feel will help a lot. For one, it will allow you to express all your feelings without someone interrupting you and you may have a better choice of words because you have had time to sit down and proof read and second guess what you would like to say.

4.Shop

Lets be real, retail therapy is the God of all therapy’s am I right ladies? I’ve had those days when I’m feeling down and the first thing I do is grab my lap top and do some online shopping or grab my purse in need of some fresh hair and end up at the mall, because the mall has the freshest air…