Alex O'Brien
Mind

How to turn a bad day around instantly

If you find yourself feeling stressed from the moment you get up, try some of our tips below to turn things around.

Upon waking, don’t immediately reach for your phone to check emails or social media. Spend a moment or two in bed thinking about three things you are looking forward to that day. It might be that first morning coffee, a lunch date with a friend, or a new recipe that you plan on trying out that night.

When you leave the house, try not to rush out the door in a fluster. Take a few deep breaths and be mindful of what you are doing. For instance ‘I’m going to enjoy the sunshine as I walk to the bus stop’ or ‘I am looking forward to seeing my son this morning.’

At lunchtime, instead of just sitting down to mindlessly eat a sandwich, spend a moment thinking about how your day is panning out. Are you getting through your tasks calmly or are you flitting around from job to job? Now is the time to turn things around, so give yourself a mental high five for what has gone well and think about what you will do next.

As you arrive home, try not to go straight into task mode. Spend some time asking others about their day and making a plan for the evening’s activities. Decide on who will do what to prepare the evening meal (remember it doesn’t have to all be down to one person) and try to enjoy all being in the same space at the same time.

When you’re getting ready to sleep, try not to dwell on negative parts of the day or worry about tomorrow’s to-do list. Spend a few moments reflecting on parts of your day that made you feel good before you settle down to sleep.

Do you have any tips for instilling a sense of calm and peace into your day? We would love to hear from you in the comments.

Related links:

Overcoming pain using the power of the mind

The 4 tricks guaranteed to make you a morning person

5 extraordinarily simple ways to be happy

Tags:
happiness, mind, stress, bad day, day