“When you’re having a bad day at work, a lot of times it’s your head. When you’re having good days, a lot of times it’s the absence of the mind.” ~Curt Schilling

Every now and then, I’ll have one of those days that makes me want to just go back to bed and try again some other time. You been there?

A bad day can be overwhelming. It makes you feel like just throwing in the towel. You might feel like I do on my worst days – just giving up and waiting for tomorrow to come.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned something pretty profound – we have more control than we think! You don’t have to be just “stuck” having a bad day – you can change it.

What I’m saying is that if you choose to do so, a bad day can be saved.

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Why bother?” But the way I see it, time is our only non-renewable resource – so we need to spend as much time feeling good (or at least NOT BAD) about our lives, right? We should make the most of each day.

With some effort and your own intentions, you can turn a bad day into a good day.

How to Turn a Bad Day Into an Amazing Day

Learn to make a good day out of a bad day with these strategies:

1. Catch a Shine Buzz! Join our Shine Buzz group and visit our website to find something to brighten your day, anytime! Remember that your perspective really has a LOT to do with how you experience any situation. So instead of saying “I am having a bad day,” maybe focus on what you’re grateful for or what IS working in your life right now.

2. Relax. Sure, your day is off to a terrible start, but it’s not over just yet. The first step is to take a deep breath and relax. Slow down your heart rate, think a few positive thoughts, and regain your composure. Put yourself in the right frame of mind to salvage the remainder of the day.

3. Accomplish something. Get one little thing accomplished that you can check off your list. If you’re at home, make your bed or clean the kitchen counters. If you’re at work, send that email you’ve been avoiding. Give yourself a small success and a little momentum.

4. Call a friend. Call a friend and share your bad day. You want to call someone that will be encouraging. Avoid calling someone that will do more harm than good.

5. Make a plan for the remainder of the day. If you want to salvage the day, you need a plan. Look at the time you have left in the day and decide what’s most important to accomplish. Make a reasonable plan to get the most important things completed before the day is over.

6. Be grateful. I know that I mentioned this in number one, but I felt the need to reiterate here because this is a big important one. Gratitude can reset your attitude. When you feel grateful, you have a better perspective and can be more productive. You feel less hopeless when you experience gratitude.

7. Get some exercise. A bad day can create a lot of negative emotions. Those emotions create a lot of energy that needs to be burned off. Exercise is a great way to move toward feeling normal again. You can make wiser decisions when you’re less emotionally stimulated.

8. Be proud of yourself for turning your day around. Allow yourself to feel proud as soon as you make even a tiny bit of progress. This will provide a well-needed boost to your mood, self-esteem, and progress.

9. Determine how you contributed to having a bad day. Some bad days are just random events, but others are not. Consider the origin of your bad day and brainstorm ways of preventing a repeat occurrence. Not all bad days can be prevented, but many can.

10. Make a plan for tomorrow. Choose to make the most of tomorrow. You might have some catching up to do. Or, you might need to plan a night on the town with a few friends. Make up for having a bad day by having a magnificent day.

11. Get a good night of sleep. You survived! Do your best to recharge your batteries and prepare for tomorrow. Hopefully, tomorrow will be much better. You’ll certainly feel better after a good night of rest.

Bad days will happen, but you don’t have to give up and pray for tomorrow to arrive. You can turn your bad day around and have a great day.

If your day is off to a bad start, be determined to still get as much from that day as you can. This is a valuable skill for anyone to master. Clear your head, relax, and make a plan for the rest of your day.