a note for the bad days
Bad days come around for everyone. For me, it makes it hard for me to self motivate and I end up avoiding my thoughts and responsibilities by watching TV (or even sometimes listening to podcasts). I'd encourage you to ask yourself where you're using numbing habits to skirt a problem or avoid your own thoughts (something I did for years and didn't even realize it). This has been powerful for me to be able to identify when I'm doing these things and either course correct or give myself the grace to take the time to lean into it.
But even outside of the big reasons why, it's still just a bad day and one of the skills that I'm proud to have built up is the ability to turn a bad day around. The first thing to note is that deciding to turn a bad day around is a choice. It is completely in your power and it gets easier the more you do it. Here’s a list of tips that have worked for me. Use these as a starting point to figure out what works for you!
Sit in the quiet. Meditate, breathe or just listen to your thoughts. A minute alone with yourself can work wonders at calming down and resetting the day.
Feel your feelings and then let them go. Don't let yourself use them as an excuse to stay stuck. A regular self-awareness practice (not to be confused with self-care) goes a long way with helping here.
Do something good for yourself. There are some things that you know are good for you and really help. Here are the things on my list:
Listen to a podcast
Accomplish 1 small task like tidying one room or washing the dishes
Make yourself more presentable - nice outfit, makeup, etc.
Take a walk outside
But really, just try dancing because it’s the best
Find what would bring you joy in the moment. Similar to #3, but more spontaneous! Sometimes you're just like, "I need a coke" or "I'm taking myself out to lunch." Listen to your gut to find a little happy.
Do something that indicates a reset. The biggest thing with all of these tips is to use them not just to feel better temporarily but to completely change the tone of your day. Certain actions may feel like a jump-start for that. For example, since I work from home, I will sometimes take a shower in the middle of the afternoon to get a fresh start on the day. Other alternatives may be going for a workout, doing some sort of mental exercise like a gratitude practice, changing where you're working, or even physically leaving and reentering the building with the intent that it's a fresh start.
Remember why you started. First of all, I kind of hate this phrase. I'm not the entrepreneur who woke up one day and was like "I'M DEFINITELY DOING THIS," so it's harder for me to remember exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing. For this reason, I wrote a little something on one of my good days to read back on the bad days. When reviewing it in preparation for this post, I realized I made it incredibly general and knew it might help others in my situation. Feel free to take it and make it your own!
Why you’re doing this:
I know that sometimes working on this website feels pointless and not really like a real 'job.' But you have unique skills, perspectives and narratives to share with the world.
It might not feel like it right now, but what you're doing is important. When you're in a better place, it's easy to see that so, for now, just trust that you're on the right path.
Doubt doesn't help you get where you're going. Moving forward one blind step at a time and following your intuition is how to get to your 'purpose.'
I know it doesn't feel good right now and you want certainty that what you're doing is right, but you have to remember that you're the only person who can really reassure you.
You've come here to do something particular and even though you might not see it clearly now, just know that you're still in the midst of it. You're in training. Without these experiences, you can't help people who are also in this place. Make the journey part of your training.
