When I've Had A Bad Day...

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on"

-FDR

I'll be honest. I had a completely different post planned out for today, but when I got home from work last night, I was in a grumpy mood, and was in no mindset to type the post I had planned. So, this is what you get today. Let's be realistic though. We all have bad days once in awhile. We all have days that, when we come home, lead us to wanting to crawl into bed with some chocolate or ice cream, a movie, and a cozy blanket. That's life in an imperfect world. Sometimes it's easy for me to dwell on how bad a day I had, and because I'm indulging that feeling, it carries on into the next day. That's not fair to myself (or others around me!) and certainly doesn't lead to a healthy mood. 

I thought I'd give you a few of the things I do when I'm in a grumpy mood to help pull myself up:

• Talk about it with others, but don't ruminate on it: It's healthy to talk to others about your feelings, and it helps to not stuff the feeling. However, ruminating on how bad of a day you are having will only serve to make you feel worse about it.
• Exercise: If nothing else, it's a way to beat out (or sweat out) the negative feelings you have. Plus it's good for your health:)
• Eat a balanced dinner: When I have a bad day, all I want is something unhealthy. Because food affects our mental health, I'm careful of what I eat. But I also give myself some freedom to have something I will enjoy (and indulge a little in something sweet)! It's tempting to turn to food to cope, and this isn't healthy. 
• Engage in self care behaviors:  Do something that you enjoy! Read a book, take a bath, go on a walk with a friend or significant other, paint your nails, or work out in the garage. 
• Laugh : Do what makes you laugh. If that's a specific website, check it out! If it's a TV show, watch an episode! 
• Prayer: This refocuses my mind on what's important in life.
• Engage in The Thankfulness Project: I make a list of things I'm thankful for in life. This helps fill my heart with gratitude instead of ruminating on the bad aspects of the day.

Obviously these are only a few of the many things that you can do to help lift your mood. No matter what, remember that this won't last forever. The day will end and tomorrow you will wake up and have a shot at a new day. Choose to make the next day better.

And with that, I'm off to watch a little TV and label pictures from a recent trip! 

Now it's your turn:

What do you do to lift your mood when you've had a bad day?