We’ve all had those days where nothing seems to go right. Those days where you want to bang your head against the wall and scream at the top of your lungs, “CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?!?”
Recently I’ve had a few of these days–I’ve been having a lot of issues with work, school, family, friends etc., and some days, it feels like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. While it is hard to pick yourself up when you fall down over and over again, what I have learned from my shitty life is that a good day can’t exist without experiencing a bad one. In the end, whatever you are going through will pass and you will become a better, stronger person from it. Unless you’re me, who is trapped in a vortex of eternal suckage. I’m only slightly joking. Now, lucky for you all, I came up with a list of the 5 things I do when I’m having a bad day, so when you’re going through a rough patch in your life, maybe these little suggestions can make you feel a little better.
1. Get in your bed
When I have a bad day, there is nothing more I love to do than take a nice hot shower and jump into bed and curl up in my blanket. You don’t necessarily have to sleep, but there is something about being in your bed that is so comforting. I love to just lay in my bed for hours scrolling through social media, listening to music, reading a book, or just daydreaming about random things. Just being in your bed will make you feel so much better. I can’t describe the feeling of being in bed–it’s kind of like a mix between when your mom gives you a hug and a hot guy catches you when you fall down the stairs.
2. Eat all the carbs
When you have had a bad day, screw the gym, screw squeezing into tight and uncomfortable (and overpriced) spandex pants, and screw salads. Eat whatever the heck you want. I highly recommend a giant helping of lasagna with garlic bread and washing that down with a litre of iced tea (or wine if you are of age) and then chocolate everything for dessert. I’m talking chocolate cake, chocolate bars, chocolate milk, anything and everything chocolate; stuff it down your throat. Your bowels will eventually forgive you. And I think it’s a rule somewhere, bad day calories don’t count!
3. Forget about it
Another helpful tip I have for dealing with a bad day is to just forget about it. Brush it off your shoulders and forget it even happened. This may not work in all cases, but if it’s one of those out of the blue random bad days, don’t let it get to you too much. Go watch a movie, hang out with your friends, read a good book, go for a run etc. Do whatever you want that makes you happy.
4. Cry
Bad days happen from time to time, most of the time they aren’t a huge deal when they happen, but sometimes a bad day can quite literally be the worst day of your life and spiral into something that weighs heavily on you. I hate crying. I hate crying because my face gets all puffy and my eyes swell up and I look like I just got punched in the face. But sometimes you need to let it out. Whatever you keep bottled up inside you will eventually explode, so just let it out. While I hate crying, I must admit, sometimes it just feels so good releasing all my emotions, even if I do end up looking like a troll after.
5. It is okay not to be okay
Maybe the best piece of advice I have ever received is that it’s okay to not be okay. Bad days happen, hell, bad years happen (look at 2016!), but the important thing is that they don’t last forever. If you don’t feel good for whatever reason, no matter what is going on in your life, you are never, ever alone. I can’t tell you how many times I have suppressed my feelings only to have them blow up and make the situation 10 times worse.
Talk to someone, talk to your friends, your family, anyone you trust… talking about what is going on will make you feel so much better. You don’t always have to be cheerful or happy all the time. It’s okay to be upset. If you need any more convincing, please listen to the “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There for You.”
Bad days are unavoidable, they happen. Don’t let them bring you down. For every bad day you have, you will have so many better days to overshadow the bad days–almost like they never happened. We can’t control the unexpected twists life throws at us, but we can control how we overcome them.