We all have to deal with bad days. Sometimes they are only once in a while and other times they seem to take a whole week of your time. While we end up feeling overwhelmed during these days, sometimes it's hard to see the easy things we can do to improve how we're feeling. I've compiled a list of what I find to be the most helpful when a crappy day just ends up being too much to handle.Some of these may seem silly or minuscule, but for me, each and every one of these 10 suggestions can easily relieve a little tension or unhappiness from a rough day at school or work in my life, so hopefully they can help you too!
1. Wiping off a day's worth of makeup.
Makeup can be a huge pain in the ass after a while. If you just want to rub your eyes from stress or you accidentally brushed a hand across your face and now your concealer is gone, makeup can get in the way. Taking a makeup remover cloth to your face after a long day can help you to feel refreshed.
2. Putting on sweatpants.
Trust me, this is just common sense. Nobody likes pants, and if you say you do you're probably lying. Pajama pants or sweats can easily take away some negativity because being cooped up in jeans or dress pants all day is a huge bummer.
3. Binge watching Netflix.
Long day at class? Your boss getting on your nerves at work? Thank God Netflix will know what you need! With those specially designed queues just for you, sitting down to laugh with some Bob's Burgers or getting weird with Stranger Things could help you to wind down.
4. Make a cup of hot tea or coffee.
A nice warm beverage, according to Sheldon Cooper, can help with bad emotions. Might as well listen to the scientist and try a hot cup of tea or coffee to soothe away some bad vibes.
5. Pet an animal.
Sometimes you just gotta cuddle with Lassie. Pets seem to know when their owner needs a cuddle session and can bring a smile to any person's face.
6. Eat your favorite food for dinner.
Make a pot of Ramen or cook a four course professional dinner, it doesn't matter! Taking time to make your stomach happy can also help with some of your bad thoughts through the day. Food is the key to most happiness!
7. Call a family member or friend.
Hearing the voice of someone you care about can really help with a bad day. Sometimes your mom or your best friend knows exactly how you feel and you just need some validation. Simply say you were hoping to vent about work or you just wanted to get your mind off something at school -- I can guarantee that the person who cares for you will help as best as they can to make you feel better.
8. Exercise.
I typically don't use exercise as a way to let out stress, but I totally see the appeal of sweating out the toxins of a bad day. Focusing for a while on making your body healthy and pushing yourself to go the extra mile can release positive ions in the brain helping to ease whatever stress you may have been dealing with that day. Plus, kickboxing that punching bag really helps when you're just pissed.
9. Guided meditation.
Now this sounds super corny, but I have tried a few guided mediations from YouTube in the past and they really do help me to focus on something other than my shit day. While I struggle with the completely silent meditation tracks, guided mediation helps me because I can focus on the voice that is speaking rather than the thoughts attempting to invade my brain as I try to relax. If your attention is focused on the words being said, you tend to allow the bad parts of your day to melt away since they aren't at the forefront of your mind. You may think it sounds stupid, but I bet if you gave it a try, you'd be surprised.
10. Take a deep breath.
I'm sure you probably read that and scoffed thinking that of course someone would suggest this, it's the number one answer for a bad day when you ask most people. While this may be true, I would really like to know how many people ACTUALLY take that deep breath. Many people just say they do but continue on dealing with the negative situation or thought in front of them. If a person actually took a step back, took that deep breath, and reassessed the situation at hand, many people would probably realize that their negative feelings have no true backing. People tend to associate "bad days" when something frustrating happens. If we are able to step back and think about what has transpired after breathing deeply, a person could really avoid a day's worth of a bad mood.
