Bad days happen to everyone, no matter who you are or how hard you try to avoid
them. While you can’t avoid the inevitable, you can change how you react to it. Having a
more positive mindset isn’t about toxic positivity where you force yourself to be positive
100% of the time, but just allowing your mind to breathe, acknowledge what is going on,
and find a way to shift your thoughts to something more positive.
Here are some helpful tips for staying positive on a bad day.
Pause and Take a Moment to Breathe
When you are having a bad day, it tends to wreak havoc on your mental state, where
maintaining a positive mindset feels impossible. During these moments, you don’t need
to force positive thoughts and try to repeat affirmations. Leave those for the quieter,
gentler moments in your life.
When you are dealing with a day where it feels like everything is against you, what you
really need to do is stop and breathe. You need this pause to collect yourself, to give
your thoughts a moment to catch up to the current circumstance, and realign your
thoughts.
It is not about correcting them or forcing them into what you want. It is more about
taking a gentle approach to just rest your mind, and give yourself a few minutes where
you don’t have to think or worry about anything.
Be Mindful About Why You Are Having a “Bad” Day
Once you have given yourself to rest for a minute and start allowing the thoughts to
come back in, this is when you can acknowledge what is actually happening, and why
you feel you are having a bad day. What has happened? Are you being realistic or
catastrophizing the situation? Are you assuming it’s going to ruin your day, or did you
feel that sudden urge of anxiousness and allowed it to spiral?
This is where using a journal can come in handy because during moments of
mindfulness, where you are just thinking practically from a neutral place, you can find
clarity by writing it out. This is often when you figure out what is causing these negative
emotions and whether or not it’s actually a bad day, or just your mind making things
seem worse than they are.
Find Gratitude in the Middle of Chaos
We have all had those chaotic, messy days that feel like they will never end. One thing
after another seems to go wrong, and it feels like everything continues to pile up. It is in
these moments of chaos and stress when you will benefit from gratitude the most. It
also happens to be one of the hardest times to be grateful.
But if you can get into the habit of finding something to be grateful for during these
moments, you will really build up your resilience and work on maintaining your positive
mindset in the future. One day, something that previously would have caused an
intense stress spiral just floats right by you because you developed these important
coping skills.
Speak Positive Affirmations (Even if You Don’t Feel it)
A good habit to incorporate into your routine is using affirmations each day, as these
positive affirming words can help to develop a positive mindset. If you are having a
difficult day, find some positive affirmations you feel drawn to that really speak to you in
that moment, and either write them down or just read them out loud. This very simple
habit only takes a few minutes and makes a huge difference in how the rest of your day
will go.
Accept That You Can’t Control Everything
The last step to maintaining your positive mindset on a bad day is to arrive at a place of
acceptance. Some things just can’t be controlled or avoided. Some bad days are just
bad days, and you have to feel gratitude for whatever went right, appreciate your ability
to get through it, and know that it won’t last forever.
Cry it out if you have to, but then make a vow that you will move on. You will not let this
deter you from your positive mindset you have worked so hard for.