We all go through times in life when it just seems like the whole world is against us. My question to you is this: “How do we get to feeling this way? And how can we prevent it?”
It’s all a case of perception. You must have heard about the glass half empty or half full? I am personally one who believes the glass is always half full. However, in my past there were periods of my life where I had fallen into the negative trap of believing that the glass was half empty all the time, and that life was constantly throwing bad eggs at me.
Turning a terrible today into a terrific tomorrow takes some practice, but it is achievable for all reading this. The first step is to recognise when the ‘bad day’ signs are starting. Just imagine a time when you woke up tired, irritable and in an odd mood. Not feeling quite yourself and everything you do goes wrong! Maybe you fall over, put your clothes on back to front, have an argument with a loved one, put deodorant (not hairspray) in your hair or even forget to lock the front door. These all add up to thinking “What else could go wrong today?” In essence this ‘stinking thinking’ of a few things that were not ideal to happen, often creates the wheels in motion for an awful day and one you wish to forget!
Now I have set the scene so you can relate to this, lets unpick this cycle to break it with a few of my personal tips:
BREAK THE CYCLE
Firstly, don’t let a negative cycle start in the first place! This is difficult to do straight off the bat, but believing “oh this is going to be a bad day’ from a few minor things that have gone wrong first thing in the morning will make the day difficult. That’s a fact. Don’t give any power to a few things going wrong, don’t declare it a ‘bad day’. Just accept and for example say to self “these things happen and I feel a bit blue, but I am going to treat myself to a nice breakfast to cheer me up”. Turn the not so good start into a terrific rest of today! It is a mind-set you have to want to adopt.
FOCUS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
It is all too easy when feeling negative to beat yourself up for everything that you do, as if it is never ‘good enough’. How about focusing in these ‘negative times’ on all you have achieved. At the end of each day make a list of all you have achieved, that day, to be proud of. Or when you get in this ‘bad day’ funk, I take a few minutes to write down one good thing I have achieved that day, in the last week and year! Our brains tend to innately focus on our ‘failings’ so we have to retrain it to focus on the ‘wins’. Work to keep the ‘wins’ at the forefront of your thinking – perhaps a post it note on your mirror may help too?
CHANGE OF SCENE
Get outdoors!!! It really helps during a so-called ‘bad day’, giving your body and brain the ‘reset’ button that it so desperately needs. Nature is known to reenergise and revitalise the body, in turn making you feel instantly happier. Lavender and pine trees are two of my favourite outdoor smells that are renowned for giving a feeling of calm and relaxation. I try and get out to find either one of them, when I feel stressed, as studies have been conducted to show that they can reduce stress levels. Breathing is good for it too, but breathing ‘fresh air’ can also increase energy levels in most people. Always good, when you are feeling low ebb. Turn it around and if in doubt of your feelings just get outdoors for instant self-healing!
Don’t allow a bad day to make you feel like a failure, or to turn a few bad moments into a bad day and ultimately a bad week! Don’t give feelings of negativity and your minds ‘stinking thinking’ any power, as this will ultimately get on top of you! Instead take control! Use the 3 tips above to regain your power and to perceive your day as the glass ‘half full’, andpositive, and not the ‘half empty’ and negative.
Slow steps, as I can promise you that my tips above helped me to transform my mind, after all practice does make ‘permanent’.
My glass I can assure you is always HALF FULL.
