How To Stop Yourself From Having A Bad Day

By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare

Imagine this: It’s Monday morning, you’re about to walk into a discussion which you are already late for, and then, you realize you forgot your bag. Later, someone bumps into you and spills hot coffee all over you. Or maybe, you hear about a bad grade, instead?

Whatever it is, you feel your mood getting worse and worse and in the end, you end up sulking the entire day because of a couple of bad events. Do not get me wrong, sometimes things happen which completely deserve time to grieve and process, but others are trivial matters that we tend to inflate in our own heads. If this is your case and you feel yourself increasingly getting bothered throughout the day, maybe these tips will help you feel a little bit better.

Tip #1: Put your problems into perspective.

There are times when we get so absorbed in an issue that we inflate the importance of it in our heads. A lot of the time, it’s just not that serious. To counter this, it is helpful to take a second to breathe, relax, and think in the greater scheme of things.

Is whatever is bothering you really that serious? Is it a life-or-death situation or a minor inconvenience? In the greater scheme of what is happening in the world, how important is this? It can be annoying to admit, but sometimes we simply overreact.

Tip #2: Write down what you’re thinking.

This is one that I personally use a lot, and no, not just because I’m a writer. 

Writing down what you are thinking helps you work through your feelings and quite literally, it gets all of the thoughts out of your head. It is the perfect way to go about clearing your mind and getting to the heart of the issue. Writing down your thoughts can help you figure out whether it is your anxiety or ego getting to you or whether whatever happened is actually worth worrying about. 

Tip #3: Be productive.

Working on an assignment cannot only help you get your mind off of whatever is bothering you, but the completion of it will create something for you to be happy about! It is a great way to keep yourself from continually sulking about whatever is bothering you. So, get up and get to work!

Tip #4: Talk to people who care about you.

Talking to friends or family is always a great way to get out your feelings. Not only will they lend an ear, but verbally laying out whatever is bothering you can help in solving your problem. It also just feels good to be surrounded by people who care for you. It helps to move you in a more positive direction. Besides, who doesn’t like hanging out with friends?

Tip #5: Work on a hobby.

Nothing makes you happier than simply doing something that makes you happy. Yes, the saying is basic and redundant, but it’s true.

Whether it is immersing yourself in television, playing sports, knitting, baking or whatever else you can think of - it doesn’t matter as long as you are having fun doing it. It shifts your focus from what was bothering you and returns you to something that is sure to make you smile.

Tip #6: Remind yourself what you’re grateful for.

It is easy to find yourself in a space where all you can think about is what you lack and everything that is going wrong. Instead, think about everything that had to go right for you to end up where you are. Focus more on the positive things in your life and you will find yourself slowly being turned away from whatever is bothering you.

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