Who can’t relate to a bad day? We’ve all had at least a couple of hours in our lifetime that seem to be continuously plummeting with growing speed into negativity. One thing after another goes wrong and just when there seems to be the slightest bit of hope, everything crashes into a bottomless pit. Daniel Powter hit the nail on the head with “Bad Day.”
Try having one of those weekends. Yes ladies, everything that could have gone wrong, went horribly wrong. And probably the least encouraging thing about my weekend was that it was within the first two weeks of school – a scary sign for the beginning of a long semester.
Picture this: Learning that your car is broken with a cost estimate that could make any money-deprived college student shake uncontrollably. Walking down the stairs that same morning to find your living room transformed into a small swimming pool overnight. All this the day after you realized your long-distance relationship just wasn’t working anymore.
Remember when I said that this is a time of surprises and uncertainty? This weekend was all that and a train wreck, and I didn’t have any idea of what to do first or how to handle it. My quarter-life crisis kicked into full gear – at least I’m going to credit my various emotions that weekend to this stage of my life.
As much as I wanted to sit on the couch with a blanket sobbing over Allie and Noah’s never-ending love in The Notebook with a pint of chocolate fudge ice cream in hand, something had to be done.
I soon realized that I needed to hop off the couch and take charge of my life. We are always looking to our family, friends, and loved ones for advice on these hard moments. And while it is absolutely vital to have a strong support system, it’s also important that we learn to analyze our problems and think critically for ourselves. Believe me, chatting with my best friends on the phone definitely put me in a better mood, but it was only until I lined up my tasks and goals that I got my head on straight.
If any of you are having these moments of distress and sadness, here is my insight. We don’t know why cars decide to break down when they do; we can’t control when we have four papers and two exams within the same week; and we can’t solve the mystery of love. The best thing we can do is assess the situation at hand and ask ourselves a few simple questions. What can I control in this situation? What are the uncontrollables? In my eventful weekend, this is what I did.
Step one. Clear out your mind. I had to have a steady head on my shoulders before I could start to think logically. To totally de-stress, I went for a calming run to feel the flow of my most beloved endorphins.
Step two. What can I control? Well, not Mother Nature and not the inside workings of my car. What I can control are my emotions and the way I view my problems. If I chose to see the negativity, my weekend would have continued to crash. Optimism was the key fueling me forward.
Step three. Make a to-do list and start crossing it off! Get your game face on. Determine what needs to be done ASAP and what can wait a few hours or days. Walking through the state of New Jersey wasn’t an option and neither was breaking the bank, so making logical and grown-up decisions about my car was number one!
Step four. Take a break. Getting things done on a timely schedule is always great, but taking a breather isn’t too bad of an idea either. There was no way I could solve my problems consecutively. Lets call it a healthy session of procrastination. Dinner with my family did the trick for me.
Finally, step five. Find some humor it in. Letting out some laughs towards your bad day is most definitely something you can control. My weekend was a compilation of events you would see in a movie. It made a good story, so why not share it with my friends?
We’re girls. We are dramatic, emotional creatures. Have a good cry, an encouraging conversation over the phone with your best friend, and heck – even a chocolate bar (or two). But after that’s all over, shine a positive light on the situation. What have you learned from it all? If anything, you learned you can proudly conquer any bad situation.
It may sound cliché, but a day is what you make it. Control what you can and smile for the ride.