It’s Okay to Have a Bad Day

It’s okay to have a bad day. We all experience ups and downs, and it’s important to remember that it’s normal and part of being human. Learn how to cope with and navigate through difficult days with self-care tips and strategies.

Why It’s Okay to Have a Bad Day

There are days when absolutely nothing goes right. You wake up, you spill milk on your shirt, your boss screams at you, you receive an unexpected bill. There are little inconveniences for no reason, you miss the bus by 10 seconds. Tiny, little things (or big ones), just keep adding up.

Bad days happen to anyone. It’s part of the normal human experience.

But bad days seem to take over our day. Even if there were good things that happened to us, we will just get an overall feeling that it was a bad day. But you have to try to get out of this classic all-or-nothing thinking; not everything is black or white. You have to try to rediscover the gray areas. Were there any positive aspects? Or even just normal, or “meh” aspects? Sometimes labeling the day as a ‘bad day’ is kinda unfair.

Another important thing is to try to not extrapolate. Just because you are having a bad day, it doesn’t mean everything with your life (or you) is wrong.

And don’t forget that bad days are important to appreciate good days.

You don’t need to be positive. It is okay to have a bad day and feel bad. Your feelings are valid.

But tomorrow will be a new day. But to help you get through today, here are also some quotes to help you get through your bad day:

Temporary nature

“Even bad days have an expiration date”.

Unknown

“The darkest hour has only sixty minutes.”

Morris Mandel

How to Cope with A Bad Day

On bad days, the most important thing is to be gentle with yourself. Don’t hold yourself to high standards. Even if you wanted to do a thousands tasks today, don’t. It’s okay to have a bad day.

Here are a few strategies that you can apply to better cope:

• Take care of yourself, focus on you. Try some self-care activities.
• If you want and can, try to restart the day. Just because the day started out badly it doesn’t mean it has to end that way. Splash some cold water on your face, take a deep breath, and start over.
• Prioritize. Break big tasks into small steps, and only prioritize those that need action right now. Try to put nonurgent and not important things off until tomorrow.
• Don’t take important decisions now, always wait until you feel a little bit better.
• Take a break (physically and/or mentally). Take a walk, go outside. If you can’t leave, take a bathroom break and do some stretches in the bathroom.
• Feel irritated? Check out our guide on how to deal with irritation.
• Seek support from a loved one, or just vent.
• Take a nice, hot shower.
• Create an “in case of bad day” box, where you can put comfort items to help your bad day a little bit better.
• Take a nap.
• Do a task very easy to accomplish, in order to feel successful.
• Remember the nice things people said about you
• Try some breathing techniques, such as the box breathing technique.
• Write it down. Try journaling, or some alternatives to journaling.
• Write it down. Try journaling, or some alternatives to journaling.
• Meditate. A 10 minute session can really make a difference.
• Practice your hobbies, or do something you really enjoy.
• Listen to some music.
• Treat yourself. Order takeout, buy your favorite grocery or dessert
• Try reconnecting with nature
• It’s okay to cry. We even made a guide on how to cry better.
• Do some physical activity
• Try to enjoy some good small things about your day, such as
  • The feel of sunshine in your skin
  • Wearing comfortable clothes
  • The smell of rain
  • Lying in bed
• Check out our 99 coping skills list

When to Get Help

If bad days cause you severe distress, you are having too many bad days in a row, or just good days never seem to come, you know that is the moment to get help from a health care professional.