It is currently the middle of my finals week right now so as of recent, I am pretty much an expert on bad days. Being a newfound expert, I have had many opportunities to try different methods of relieving the stress and sadness that has accumulated throughout the day. I know that at least for me, when the bad days come, all I want to do is curl up under my covers and cry sleep it away. But I’ve found that you can do little things throughout the day that simultaneously make you feel productive, while improving your mood. Here’s a few.

1. Journal.

I honestly can’t stress this enough. Keeping a journal is like writing your own autobiography in real time. It’s extremely therapeutic. I often find that I start writing simply about my problems and suddenly as I delve deeper into them, I discover new perspectives on these problems that I hadn’t thought of, and sometimes I even find answers to them. Keeping a journal is like keeping a portable safe space, wherever you go you know that with one stroke of a pen you can re-enter a world where it is just you and your memories.

2. Watch a happy, inspiring or funny movie.

Maybe all three. I am sucker for comedies and movies from my childhood that make me feel nostalgic. A few good ones I’ve seen recently on Netflix/Xfinity are Ella Enchanted (I watched this today), Step Up, Zootopia, any Disney movie really, The Pacifier, A Cinderella Story, She’s The Man, 10 Things I Hate About You, Footloose, Cinderella, Race, and The Good Dinosaur (head up this will make you cry).

3. Watch this said movie at the gym.

I’ve found that even when I am feeling terribly tired, sad, and lazy, getting up and exercising makes me feel better. From taking a walk to running until you can’t breathe, any form of exercise helps to improve your mood and make you feel more productive.

4. Eat Chocolate.

No explanation needed. Although I have found that dark chocolate tastes better when it is slightly warm, just an FYI.

5. Plan a fun event for the future.

Often, when I get down, it’s because I can’t find light at the end of the tunnel because there is just nothing to look forward too. Because life is often boring and sad, it’s up to you to create that light. Plan lunch with friends during the weekend, go in on concert ticket with your friends (chainsmokers have a concert in Boston in December), or call your mom and make a coffee date. Whatever you get excited about, put it down on the calendar

6. Think about why your day was bad.

Take a little time to reflect on what, if anything, made your day bad and what you can do to fix it. If there’s nothing you can do, it’s not worth stressing about.

7. Don’t think about why your day was bad.

Easier said than done, I know. A youtuber I watch once said to imagine thoughts are like clouds and you can pull them down into your mind, it’s your choice if you want to get stuck with one cloud for a while, and even if you pull it down, you can always just let it go again and float off. Don’t let the negatives overshadow the positives. Take the bad day clouds down, think about them and let them float off, so that there’s room for new, happier clouds. Remember that these bad days are only temporary.