Ten Ways to Fix a Bad Day.

I am a pretty even-keeled, positive person. I subscribe to the mentality that what you put out into the universe is what you’ll get back, so even when it is hard, I always try to be as positive as possible. Today, in my final post with BIC^® Soleil Shine^® I wanted to share ten ways to Make Your Own Sun® and turn a bad day around. At the center of this, I truly believe that if you send out good energy, good things will come your way. When things are going smoothly, it’s easy street… but I also find that when one thing goes wrong, the whole day can snowball. When that happens, I try to nip the bad energy in the bud before everything else can go wrong. Sometimes, you just need a little reset, to make your own sun. It can be as simple as closing your eyes for a few minutes to breathe… or as indulgent as taking yourself out for a date. Either way, these are the ten things that I find work best!

ONE // Buy yourself fresh flowers. Flowers are my favorite pick-me-up. In New York, you can buy yourself a beautiful $10 bouquet of roses at any corner bodega, but the seasonal offerings can be pretty great, too. Lilacs, peonies… or my personal favorite… sunflowers. They’ll make your space fragrant and pretty.. and instantly make you feel better!

TWO // Work it out. Exercise does the body good in more ways than one. I have always found that no matter how bad my day is going, a run will help immensely. On a day where I’m too tired to run, even a long walk by the river will help. I’ll crank up the tunes and spend an hour sweating and It isn’t just the exercise and the endorphins, it’s being outside (especially being by the water)! Everyone has their favorite workout. For me, it’s running… but other friends swear by boxing, yoga, or dance class. It’s really just about figuring out what works best for you.

THREE // Meditate. I’m still working on this (my mind has a bad tendency to wander), but when done right, meditating really removes you from the moment and helps you to shift your focus – and your perspective. There are some really good apps and classes for meditation.

FOUR // Put on a bright lipstick. I know, I know, this is so superficial, and lipstick can’t save the world from all of its problems… but it’s an instant mood elevator. I particularly love a good coral or red-orange when I want a pick-me-up!

FIVE // Pay someone else a compliment. I don’t know why this works as well as it does (it probably has something to do with that whole law of positive energy) but it does… It shifts your focus outward, and making someone else feel good always makes you feel good. Just don’t be fake. If you aren’t physically around other people, try sending a thank you note (preferably hand-written)!

SIX // Meet a friend for a drink, a sweet treat, (or – if you are being good) a green juice. Sometimes, you just need to indulge a little bit… and having a pal to commiserate with is hugely helpful. My best friend and I call each other on the reg. Neither one of us expect the other to solve our problems, it just helps to have someone else to listen!

SEVEN // Sniff some citrus! I’ve always been impacted deeply by fragrance and citrus is such a great mood-elevator. Orange, lemon, or my favorite… grapefruit. It could be a shower gel, a perfume, or a diffuser. I recently bought a diffuser for my office. If I’m stressed, I add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil and it is everything.

EIGHT // Clean up. Similar to with meditating, cleaning shifts your focus to something else. I find having a good task helps… organizing a messy drawer, scrubbing a dirty floor, even just a good old-fashioned closet cleanup. Just fifteen or twenty minutes of cleaning will give you an outlet for your energy… and a sense of satisfaction upon completion.

NINE // Hug an animal. Tyrion helps me through my worst days and he has no idea. If you don’t have a pet, go for a walk to a nearby dog park, hit up a pet store, or volunteer at a local animal shelter. Before I had Tyrion, I would go to the pet store and be that random creepy girl staring at the cats in the cages, or asking to play with the puppies (with no intention of buying one). Hey it’s a little creepy, but it’s the best free mood elevator there ever was!

TEN // When all else fails, just hit restart your day… no matter what time it is! There once was a quote a while back that said, “It’s never too late to start your day over.” If things are really that bad, it is okay to give yourself a break and just completely hit reset. Get in the shower and literally hit reset and start your morning all over again… even if it is 7:30pm after a long, hard day at the office. I have done this before and I have to tell you, it really, truly works!!!!

How do you combat a bad day?

In partnership with BIC^® Soleil Shine^®.

image