Well, I had one of those "life lesson" work moments last week, which was followed by a bad day. One of those challenging, self-reflective times when you ask yourself countless questions. What could I have done differently? How do I want to better myself in the future? What's the next logical step? Is there a way to make sure this won't happen again?
Thankfully, the time has passed, and I have more takeaways than I could have ever hoped for.
When I still was in the midst of this stressful and inquisitive period, I knew I had to find ways to distract myself. I am the type that obsesses over mistakes made and potential conflicts with people I respect. Once I did all I could do, I made some conscious decisions to be happy.
Here's my personal recipe for turning your day around, de-stressing from whatever consumes your thoughts, and sure way to simply make you smile.
1. Call someone who loves you no matter what. This may seem like a really simple step, but I have found that many people (including myself) don't want to bother our close friends and family when we are down. We have this supportive network, and we need to take advantage of it. These individuals know us better than we know ourselves, and often they can give frank and honest advice.
2. Exercise. As someone who does whatever possible to not raise my heart rate, when I am overwhelmed there's nothing that will clear my head faster than burning a few calories. Whether you want to run (not my favorite, but a quick fix), kickbox (something I will never do again), or practice yoga (my go-to), your mind and body will thank you.
3. Fake it until you make it. Everyone around me always laughs, but for years whenever I had a big test to ace, a boy to forget, a cold to get over, or really anything else that wasn't quite pleasant, I took the extra time to dress up for the day. It's amazing what curled hair, a bit of makeup, and even a dress will do to your attitude. I also think that by focusing on your outward appearance, you also ensure that you are taking care of yourself. When I am stressed, my physical well-being is usually the first priority bumped off the list. Plus, you never know who you are going to run on this bad days, it could be your ex (it's happened to me), and you don't want to go back to bad moods-ville.
4. Buy yourself something small. For me, it's as simple as going to my favorite coffee shop for a latte or buying my favorite flowers. Do you know what makes it even better? When Trader Joe's is running a special and you can get a vase-full of daffodils for $3. It happened to me yesterday, and I feel like the world was doing whatever possible to make my day improve.
5. Allow yourself to be sad, upset, and frustrated, but then move on. There's nothing that can be more detrimental to your future than allowing yourself to let a bad mood continue. I am all about feeling every emotion that comes to you, but then finding a way to turn those negative ones to something positive and joyful. You deserve to smile from ear-to-ear every day.
Do you have any other tricks that can turn your day around?
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