I wake up to the sound of pounding. Dust flies around my room and burns my eyes. I wrap my head in the pillow whilst silently hating the source of the hammering. Eventually, I muster the energy to get up and make some breakfast. I almost cry as I notice that I’ve ran out of eggs. I sigh, because I know, it’s all downhill from here.
And it doesn’t get much better. I’m late for a meeting, someone is trolling me on social media, plus, I get a text saying my dinner has been cancelled. By the time I get home, I just want to fall asleep and forget the whole day ever happened.
I used to have days like these. Spiralling down some bad mood helter-skelter. That was until, I realised that you can break it. I found a way to spin my day around. From Tim Burton-style nightmare to Tim Walker Photoshoot. I learned to own my day and accept that I controlled what was happening in my day.
I believe sharing is caring, so I have decided to share my tips on how I make a bad day a good one so maybe, you can do it too.
1. Breathe
I just stop whatever I’m doing and just breathe for a second. I close my eyes, without thinking and just breathe. Often, when I’m having a terrible day, I don’t stop thinking. My brain starts moving at 100mph and usually in a negative capacity. So, I either just sit still and take big breathes. Sometimes accompanied by a cigarette – a bonus stress reliever.
2. Stop Complaining
No one actually cares about the terrible day I’m having, because you know what, it probably doesn’t sound that bad to them. I try to gain some perspective, rather than relaying over and over all the stuff that’s happened. I think, at least I’m alive. At least I turned up to the meeting and at least I have friends to complain to. Besides, no one likes a whiny bitch.
3. Listen To The Songs You Love
I head straight to Spotify and listen to the best chill out playlist I can find. Usually one that I can sing along to. I find it extremely hard to be in a bad mood when I’m singing my heart out to Green Day or The Rolling Stones. My perfect chill out song is ‘
Beast Of Burden‘. Some say nostalgia is good for the soul. And often listening to the songs I heard when I was younger always brings back some great memories. Just enough to get rid of the bad ones.
4. Take A Stroll
Getting myself out of the house and somewhere more open is so refreshing. Quite often, in the city it can get quite crammed and full of angst. So, heading to a hill top like Hampstead Heath and watching the city from far away works like a charm to clear away all the bad thoughts I’ve been having. If you haven’t got a hill top, just go for a walk without knowing where you’re going. Put the phone away and look around…explore.
5. Express Yourself
I like to express myself through writing. Writing down all my thoughts or moods in a poetic form makes me wash over with a sense of achievement. It also means that I have been a little productive with my bad moods. This is something I’ve done ever since I was little. My brothers would get on my nerves so I would angrily write a letter to my mum about how horrible they were. After I was done, I would have got everything out my system. But I have found drawing, painting, writing songs, customising clothes and filming videos helps too.
6. Comedy
It may seem so obvious, but laughter is my most powerful weapon. I head to YouTube or if I’m at home, I grab a movie and let myself laugh for a few seconds. Laughing can break down those stressful feelings instantly. One of my favourite comedians is Jim Jefferies and he never fails to cheer me up.
So I hope you found this incredibly useful. Sometimes, it may seem like a struggle but I follow each of these 6 steps, and I’m back to me. If you think you have time to do these things then MAKE time. Your mental health is more important than anything. Plus, you don’t want those grey hairs early.
