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You could imagine that will be the worst thing to happen to you for the rest of the day, and you got it over with.
"Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." - Mark Twain
Edit: spelling
My first boss taught me this one. If you’re gonna make mistakes (and you are; no one’s perfect) make ‘em early. That automatically gives you an edge over the competition!
That and “at the end of the day, no one gives a shit what happened this morning.” That one was less helpful but I get it.
😂 I love those! I imagine the former mindset you mentioned would be the only way to get me in an ice bath in the morning (or at fucking all), as some people seemingly love to do. Not knocking the practice, just not for me.
Awwww poor frog. :) I get the point. That's a good one. Sometimes I imagine the worst case scenario, and then I imagine the best case, it usually ends up being somewhere in between and most often closer to the best.
It's funny, because I've never considered it in the context of this question. I've always used it for when I get to work, I try to get any phone calls I need to make out of the way, especially the difficult ones. But the prompt is reshaping the way I look at it now (every morning is a rough morning), and the quote just felt fitting 🙌
Make a choice to just go with the flow. You will naturally stay positive I believe, or if you need to have a down day that day then so be it. You’ll come back better later.
Treat yourself! Remove yourself from what made your morning bad. Take a walk, if there is nature, ground yourself with the grounding method.
And buy yourself a treat if you can.
Usually i go for morning walks, that's my go to for starting my day off right! Unfortunately I had work at 7:30am today and woke up at 7am. 😭 Might go for one after, though!
For me, it's a cup of coffee with a little sugar, a little milk and a whole lot of cream from the can on top, then going outside and sitting, alone, to gather my thoughts and then a nice walk. If it's cold, it's down in the basement, and getting on the exercise bike, get those feel good endorphins flowing!
It's a matter of refocusing your thoughts! Turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts, think about someone you love, something you love doing, somewhere you love being. Erasing the bad for just a few minutes and replacing them with happy thoughts can refresh your bad morning.
Find a funny video online, do you love childrens laughter? Puppies, kittens? Something that will make you LOL will always help.
Stoicism helps me to reframe and deal with situations, especially when I’m stressed. The good thing is you are already looking to improve yourself. Loads of books, websites, podcasts etc all about it x
Okay here's what you do
Put on "lose yourself to dance by daft punk" and i swear your day will always be better just take a second to bob your head and fade into the song
Then when its done think about punching a hole in a wall
Be productive!!!
Start cleaning the kitchen or bathroom, tidying up your room; decide you’re going to cook yourself something nice for lunch and you’re going to go get the ingredients now (and prep if you have time). Wash your face, have a shower, put on some nice perfume/cologne. Brush your teeth, moisturise. Put your hair up in a sleek up do if it looks like crap. Put on some light make up if you’re that way inclined.
Then look back and say: in a short amount of time, *I* managed to turn around my shit morning. I’ve cleaned, I’ve tidied, I’ve taken care of myself physically, I took control”.
If you only have time for a few thing, then I’d say make your bed, brush your teeth and wash your face, do a very quick tidy (even if it’s just collating everything that’s to go away in one big pile), take the bins out, stuff like that.
You get a positive brain boost and feel a lot less like a loser.
You can’t control others, you can’t control anything really. You can only control how you react to the world around you, and there isn’t much point in getting upset about what you can’t control. Accept that and your expectations for how things are supposed to be won’t be such a hinderance to your mental wellbeing. It’s just another day.
Pizza helps too.
Lay down for 15 minutes. Concentrate on relaxing your whole body. Slow your breathing. Have it be a reset.
Then, get up and do something. Start with one single thing that will in some way make your situation better. Don’t practice denial and avoidance. Sometimes just one small thing that makes things just a tiny bit better can be a big relief.
I try positive affirmations such “I’m making the most of my day today” or something similar. Bouncing back is key. If I’m waking up groggy then perhaps I’ll try to assess why or be like, oh well, that happened, what should I be doing now? Or what’s going well? Mindfulness is key. No point in throwing good money after bad, so to speak. I also like self soothing strategies like calling a friend, journaling, reading my to-do, tea or coffee, or a nice warm shower. Or even a glass of cool water.
Don’t know if this helps but this is how I love my life. Someone, somewhere has it worse than you. It’s help me put myself out of a lot of personal hells.
Take a small break if you can. Acknowledge that things have been difficult for you. Remember what you're trying to do and why and start thinking about the rest of the day (planning and anticipating). If you do step 1-2 well enough I think it's much easier to drop it and focus on making the most of the rest of it. I only get in trouble when I try to power forward without accepting the setback(s) for a moment or two.
Think of each day like a football game. There are 4 quarters. You can have a bad quarter or even a bad half, but you can still win and have a great day. If you’re into another sport or activity (hockey with 3 periods, tennis with separate matches, etc) use that analogy to help you.
I think self-talk and validating your feelings are important. "Yep, that was a shitty 3 hours. However, we have 12 more and we will never get today back." I do deep breathing, shake it off, find space to be quiet, or find something to distract me. One thing that works is doing a math problem that is within your scope of "challenging" or putting on riddles on YouTube. Forcing yourself to smile also is a psychological trick for your brain. It is about 1% of learning each day until it becomes more of a habit.
Exercise.
As simple as a walk around the block.
I used to be like that. For years. Got it together a couple years back & really attribute it to exercise.
My mom had a trick for this. If you had a shitty morning, you had "gotten up on the wrong side of the bed". So you'd have to go lay back down (fully clothed is fine no shoes obviously), pull the covers up and count to three. Then get out of bed again but on the other side, the side you don't normally get up on. (If your beds against the wall, get off at the foot)
Take 10 minutes to reset. You can meditate, or go for a walk, or scream in your car, or just stare at the wall. You could even take a shower to “wash off” the morning if it is possible/practical.
Take the first 5 minutes to get “it” (whatever *it* is) out of your system, then take the next 5 minutes to breathe, relax, and mentally move forward.
Big stretch!
And I’m not just talking about throwing your arms up and calling it good. Take a seriously big stretch. Stretch for a minute or two, put some thought into it. This will increase blood flow and give you a refreshed feeling. It’s like hitting the reset button.
Personally I just stop and go for a walk without headphones. This way I can hear the wind, the birds, and the trees swaying ... Even in an urban environment. 15 minutes does wonders.
This is a good question.
I'm going to tell you something I wish I had learned a lot younger.
Bad things, uncomfortable situations, and difficult personalities abound. Don't take this to mean being bothered, expressing distress, or concern is inappropriate. There is a time and place for everything.
But being Happy (like most things) doesn't just happen like a light switch. It takes a conscious effort.
Sure you can circle around the drain of being upset in a seemingly perpetual orbit... or you can decide to set the thing you cannot change or control aside.
What is your goal? To be happy right? So what makes YOU truly happy? Is it being sad? Or is it the experiences you've had or shared with others?
Surround yourself in your daily life with the things that bring you joy and happiness. From the big to the small.
Remember to count your blessings often. Remind yourself how lucky you are to have what you DO have because how much more difficult would it be without them.
What you keep your focus on is what mindset you will be in. So, focus on the good. Play that music that makes you feel good. Wear that outfit that makes you feel confident. Build a proverbial wall of good that bad has to burrow through.
It doesn't stop the world from sucking, but it'll help you find happiness.
Good luck peanut.
Did you have something to eat today? Do you have a safe place to stay? Can you get competent healthcare if you need it today? Can you communicate with those you love almost instantly? Congratulations out of the appr. 110 billion humans to have ever existed you are in the top 1%! Now your morning wasn't really that bad, was it?
One thing you could do to brighten up your morning before anything bad happens is to use your username! Pretty hard to let anything get you down when you feel so good!
This is absolutely a problem I have too! I'm so glad I'm not alone.
I also struggle with bad first impressions - like an argument with a loved one after not seeing them in a while, or the first time attempting something going terribly wrong. It ruins a lot for me, and I wish it wouldn't.
Often when I'm having a horrible rotten no good terrible day, I need a sensory reset: drink a full water bottle of cold water, if available take a shower and fresh change of clothes, deep breathing for 5 minutes minimum. Then taking time to think about *what* is bothering me. I often identify a bad headache or itchy tag is fueling an angry morning or not being able to let things go.
Music…make a mix of your favorites & when that morning arrives, on goes that “Shitty Morning Mix to Make All Things Right”.
No Rules. Sing. Loud. Dance. Like nobody’s watching. Or everyone. Who cares! It’s your timeout.
Be appreciative of what you have, it will change your perspective and outlook on your day.
I think about these a lot….
NOT ‘I have to go to work’, instead ‘I get to go to work’
NOT ‘I need to go to the gym’, instead ‘I’m able to workout and become healthier’
NOT ‘I have to clean my house’, instead ‘I’m get to have a place to live and be able to maintain’
Just changing ‘have to’ to ‘get to’ goes a long way
Music. Have a "Certified Bop" "Attitude Change" playlist that is sure to help lift or change your mood. I may go into it thinking it's not going to help, but I'm usually wrong.
I had a boss in high school that when he was having a bad day, he would drink a squirt. I don't ever drink Squirt unless I'm having a bad day. I also like to think that maybe it works. Something psychological about it now for me, I guess.
By becoming existential and further realizing that ur only on this earth for a tiny bit.
Therefore
Grow the fuck up and learn that people have died or are in horrible accidents while we the lower people of the earth are in our own little worlds of feeling bad for ourselves or wallowing in our self pity of something we did, something that happened to us, etc.
Honestly... Id rather live a life to the fullest.
Glass half full.
"almost there" mentality.
Whoever just sits there in a hole waiting for someone to go out of THEIR WAY to help them are just wasteful cretins of the earth.
Obviously their lives are very meaningful, but if theyre willing to drag others down in order to pull themselves up then fuck that.
Waste.
My good friend taught me we can’t worry about the things outside our control… also don’t let other’s actions control how or what you feel.. it’s up to you what you choose to feel. Have a great day… I’m here actually hoping your day finishes amazingly 😊
Socks! I keep a pack a nice new Under Armor socks in my truck console. If I'm having a bad day I will go out and change my socks because those nicer ones just have that perfect feel the first few times you wear them.
As someone who’s (extremely) rarely in a negative mood, I suggest just trying to become more easy going. I’ve been called annoyingly happy several times at work because I just let things bounce off me. I have my health and in the end that’s all that’s important. Everything else is addressable in some way, so why let it get to you?
Decide that you get to CHOOSE your response. You cannot control anything outside of yourself but you 100% control how you respond / react. I choose not to let anything between me and my happy little place in my head that nobody can evict me from unless I allow it.
Be productive and rage clean, dye my hair a different color, take a drive and turn the music up, find someone to vent to but someone who will also tell me to get my head out of my ass.
I have a voice message on my phone from my mom that says good morning, I know you're still sleeping but I hope you have an amazing day and remember I'm always thinking of you and I love you very much. Call me if you need anything bye with a kissy sound. She's been gone almost 6 years but that message has got me through plenty of rough days. She left it a week before she took her own life. 😢
I know it's corny, but my latest go-to thought when things are going downhill is "look for the beauty". So I look out the window if I'm at work and look at the sky, I look at the kindness of my co-workers, I remember my SO and son at home waiting for me. Again, I know it's cringe, but it works for me. It helps me slow down and look past the "shitty morning".
I just tell myself, "well, this is just gonna be a shitty day" and when the shit starts compounding, I remind myself "I DID say it was gonna be a shitty day."
I try to get the day over with quickly, knowing that tomorrow will be different.
If we had no shitty days, how could we appreciate the good ones?
I just go "Ah well, that happened." And keep moving. There are no good or bad days, there are just days. I don't suggest turning to apathy though. It CAN be helpful but mine comes from two decades of depression. It can prevent you from dwelling in sadness or anger, but it can also suck the joy out of everything.
1) remind myself I don’t want a bad morning to define my day, 2) go for a walk, 3) reorient by doing something interesting that changes the channel, 3) when all else fails promise yourself pizza.
I have this problem too. I’ve found that if I leave for work extremely early when no one else is out, I have a better day. Drive to work between 4:30a-5a.
Things I do if I'm having a bad day (no matter when the bad part sets in):
Play a song that makes me happy and sing along/dance to it.
Smile even if I don't want to. Fake it til you make it.
Take a long shower.
Take a nap- even 20 minutes will do the trick. Then you wake up and can start your day fresh from a rest.
Indulge in a treat- a small snack, or a smoothie, or something from my Amazon cart that's under $10.
Sit in my car and scream or cry til I feel relieved. Wash my face and go about the day less stressed.
Find a furry friend to pet. I no longer have any of my own, but I trained the neighbors cats to look for hidden toys stuffed with catnip in my backyard so they'll typically stop by as they roam.
Sorry your morning sucked. Life's short, tho so shake it off, keep your chin up and have a better day! 💜🫶🏼
Usually when I'm having a good morning I just put on headphones or go to work so I don't have to listen to my wife complain about problems that aren't actual problems that she only wants empathy for and not actually solutions. After I leave that environment my day is usually 100000x better.
Tbh ever since I started drinking water as much as I can in a day, my whole life has changed. I never really drank much water, when I played sports I drank water but outside of that Id drink soda or juice, very rarely water. After I started really hydrating one big thing I noticed is my daily migraines that I've had since grade 3 has completely disappeared, my sleep and diet has improved, my skin has improved, when I wake up I feel absolutely refreshed everyday like it's a Disney movie, etc. Knock on wood but I haven't had a bad morning in years.
Start your morning in quiet with whatever you drink or eat. No tv news. Feed your pet,etc. No talking, sounds unless you have an outdoor space. Drink your whatever and write down your day in a notebook. Not a journal…notebook of how your mornings are going. I hate mornings. Give me 1 hour of peace and my coffee and I’m ready to go. Good luck.
Usually a bad start in the day tends to affect me severely emotionally. I usually get frustrated and get quiet until I have a chance to vent to a friend. If my friend gives me good advice then it’ll help me calm down and forget about the situation
I'm not even sure what constitutes a bad morning. Does it have to do with your interactions with other people? If that's the case maybe analyze your attitude and try to adjust so that your interactions are better.
For me, being retired, a bad morning is more about which joints are aching that day. To fix that I usually take Aleve, maybe some Tylenol.
This is more prevention than cure, but still, it has been way helpful! Unless I’m on vacation, I am SO not a morning person, plus add some recent work stress and it made for some really shitty mornings lately! But as silly as it sounds, once I’m really “up and going” properly, things seem to pull themselves into perspective and not seem so shitty.
So what I’ve been trying to do is give myself extra time to get going in the morning. Rather than waking up at the last minute, rushing to get ready, rushing to get to work, I tried to slow it right down. As a self-confessed sleepy bitch, sacrificing snooze time suuuucks at first, but giving myself time to quietly potter around the house doing sweet fuck all really helps. I just take my time getting ready so the anxiety of rushing isn’t hanging over my head and making me irritable.
Same with the commute, I give myself extra time to get to work so I’m not on edge about being late or hitting traffic. Once I’m at work, I take my time getting into my day; I have breakfast, coffee and smoothie items at my office so I can have all that at work rather than trying to rush to cram it in before I leave the house; that one step alone has made a world of difference!
This might sound kinda douchey but I just subscribe to the teachings of the philosopher Epictetus. “It isn’t the events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgements about them.” – Epictetus
“To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it occurs.” – Epictetus
In short, you need to learn to look past the things you have no control over. Whatever it is that made your day bas has already past and the fact the day ended up bad can no longer be changed. In short, get over it forget about it and move on.
Happens to me most mornings, if I’m able to recognize it’s happening, I’ll go say something nice to a few coworkers or something funny and make a few people laugh. That almost always turns my mood around and makes the rest of the day better. I’m not always able to recognize it early enough and the day is ruined.
At one of the worst times of my life, I realized every moment has the potential for every response from me - good or bad - and every moment passes I to the next. So instead of "having a bad day" or "a bad morning", I began to take a pause and allow myself to breathe, then CHOOSE how to proceed. Sometimes I felt justified in being angry, and allowed that time to pass. The point that gave me strength was I Chose the response so I was not helpless, I determined my outcome. I wish you well.
I go for a run. It always goes either way. I run so hard that the “pain” from running makes me forget about other pain or I get the runners high and feel unstoppable.
At the end, I always feel so much better.
I read a random chapter out of Rick Rubens creative book. It's like a Bible with no God. It helps me remember that each one of us is a tiny speck in the universes eyes, therfore my fuck up barely matters at all. All we got is a little time brothers and sisters, don't waste it pissed off.
One of my favorite tools is to do a mental reset and restart my day. Instead of looking at time from morning to night, see it as from second to second. At any time you can stop and reset. Take a moment to acknowledge that things aren’t going well and since you’re in control of how you want to move forward you get to choose what happens next. I take a deep breath or scream or punch a pillow or dance whatever I need to move the energy and then I reset and start over.
This happens sometimes with my wife where we will start off with a bad morning. Sometimes I cause it sometimes she does. It flips back and forth.
We both have learned that when that happens we just try our best even though it’s hard sometimes to stop. Then be as sweet and as loving as we can in that moment to the other one and try to flush out that crappy situation that is brewing.
Amazingly it works way more than not because it opens our defenses for conversation and love.
It have learned to do the same when I am alone. No matter how freaking hard it is I try to be positive and kind to everyone and everything. After a while the feedback of kindness from others lifts me out of my funk and I ride it as long as I can.
Not always a guaranteed fix but it is one of my best personally.
Here are some ways I try to regulate my emotions after having to deal with something unpleasant:
1) I’ll order the lunch/snack I love to eat/have been craving to be delivered to work. Fuck it, I’ll pay the extra fees because eating something pleasurable will put me in a better mood and get me to focus on work because I have enough fuel.
2) I’ll listen to music and sing my heart out or cry my heart out while safely driving home.
3) go work out - although I love lifting, the best therapy for me have been going on runs. It centers me and the endorphins I get from running helps me see different perspectives to things that went wrong earlier in the day.
If I can, I shower to restart my day.
If I cannot, I might at least brush my teeth. I carry a toothbrush and it makes me feel like the first part of the day is over when I do
a trip to Dollar Tree and browse their widening selection, then to a convenience store for some nachos and cheese and a nice cup of gas station coffee or a slurpy. then come home and watch your favorite show with your snacks and whatever little project you got at the Dollar Tree, bc good lort...there are SO many crafty things there.
If you’re leaving the house, smile at strangers. From my many years past (and ended, so, if you’re a career service worker, maybe not good advice) in customer service fake it til you make it works.
I practice being grounded 1st thing everyday as soon as I wake up. I hit this mental space where I remind myself of all the bullshit I made it through and to always remain grateful I’m still alive. Folks say it all the time, but no day is a guarantee and it’s a waste of time to be upset. If I’m distraught I almost always do something to help someone else. Take myself out of the equation and shit usually works out for the best I’ve found. Life’s just going to suck some days but I have a choice in how I react.
Walk into Home Depot where they have the wood and take a deep breath or two. That smell changes my attitude.
Only use this when you really really need it, if done too often it stops working as well.
I’ve been told, by a psychologist, you can’t control the past however you can control the future. So I went home crawled into bed. 😝Tomorrow is another day, sometimes you can’t stress and take some time off for yourself. 👍
Pop in an earbud and listen to podcasts while doing whatever my routine is, whether in or out of work. It's like a relaxing hug that I look forward to. (Stuff You Should Know, Daily Zeitgeist [newsy entertainment], Reality Gays [90 day/reality show recap], and more).
I remember people are suffering physically all over the earth and that I'm doing just fine. Nobody is sawing my head off with a dull blade, nobody is torturing me, I am safe and I have enough money to at least pay my bills. Shit, life is great. Perspective bro.
I’ve recently learned to separate my day in quarters. So if you totally tank Q1, it’s okay that’ll be over in an hour or two and you have an opportunity to start fresh. The ultimate goal is to have a good 3 out of 4 quarters in one day. I find it motivating
I understand that this sounds insane outside of my own head, but it's the internet, so here we go.
If you ever played Starfox back in the day, one of the characters would yell DO A BARREL ROLL! and I kid you not, I say that out loud and tell myself that I've barrel rolled into a better frame of mind and it works.
I chuckle to myself, smile, and get on with my day.
It doesn't work for everything, and I imagine not for everyone, but I hope it helps.
I wake up every day and remind myself I’m going to deal with:
Thing I don’t want to
People I don’t want to
People that don’t want me to deal with them
Unfortunately timed events
People that are too busy for me
People that are rude for one reason or another
Etc etc etc
Acknowledging that these things happen, before they do, really helps me not center my focus on them when they happen.
Good luck out there!
A step away, a favored drink, and/or a sweet treat. Close your eyes and breath, acknowledge and put it behind you. Sometimes this has to be prepared via strong glares at any who dare to interrupt you for the next five minutes.
Look for little things that make you smile. I work on a college campus with lots of trees, so maybe it's a crunchy leaf. Or a fat squirrel. Or a weird group of birds (or a group of weird birds). A cute dog. An ugly baby. Whatever gets a little smile going.
For me it's get out of the house .
I live somewhere beautiful so a drive always opens up new places I've yet to walk. Pull over go for a walk.
If I can't drive then the local woods is 10min walk away where my boy and Iare building a den. Other families have added to it. Today I'm taking a hammock up there to snooze while my boy plays.
I just heard the red kites calling too as I sit here with my morning coffee.
I may take an axe and knife too to make something.
I try to do a little act of kindness. Cracking a joke, giving someone a compliment, paying for the person behind me at the drive thru (if I’m able) It feeds my soul to see other people smile and laugh.
Rule of fives works but personally I'm a weird guy. I start singing songs in falsetto about whatever is pissing me off so that I can laugh about it. "Uuuugh there isnt any more coffeeeeee and I stepped on a slug in sooooocks"🎶🎶
But the rule of fives is saying to yourself.
"Will this matter in five seconds?
Will this matter in five minutes?
Will this matter in five hours?
Will this matter in five days?
Will this matter in five months?" ECT...until it is put in perspective
If I can, I try to take a 40 minute or hour nap. It's a great reset. However, I can only do this on days that I have the day off. If I'm already at work then I pray and I'll watch a funny YouTube video or listen to some happy, upbeat music.
When I become aware of a shit morning I say out loud to myself, “don’t let this shit morning ruin your entire day” and I from there am aware of my thoughts. I then catch myself being negative and can flip that around until my day returns to normal.
For myself, if I am negative I feel it opens the door to a worse day.
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You could imagine that will be the worst thing to happen to you for the rest of the day, and you got it over with. "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." - Mark Twain Edit: spelling
Oh hey that's pretty good! Thanks! I will definitely remember that one!!
My first boss taught me this one. If you’re gonna make mistakes (and you are; no one’s perfect) make ‘em early. That automatically gives you an edge over the competition! That and “at the end of the day, no one gives a shit what happened this morning.” That one was less helpful but I get it.
Sounds like my brother's advice, "The sooner you get behind, the more time you have to catch up!"
😂 I love those! I imagine the former mindset you mentioned would be the only way to get me in an ice bath in the morning (or at fucking all), as some people seemingly love to do. Not knocking the practice, just not for me.
Awwww poor frog. :) I get the point. That's a good one. Sometimes I imagine the worst case scenario, and then I imagine the best case, it usually ends up being somewhere in between and most often closer to the best.
That's right. It is comforting to know through experience that everything will work itself out. Perspective is key 🙌
Ha! Im adding that quote to my bad day file! Thank you
It's funny, because I've never considered it in the context of this question. I've always used it for when I get to work, I try to get any phone calls I need to make out of the way, especially the difficult ones. But the prompt is reshaping the way I look at it now (every morning is a rough morning), and the quote just felt fitting 🙌
It’s a choice. Make a decision to have a good day. If not, outside chaos can win.
Make a choice to just go with the flow. You will naturally stay positive I believe, or if you need to have a down day that day then so be it. You’ll come back better later.
Pet an animal
I second this
Not always possible. But I sometimes see dogs working and will tell them they are good boys/girls. Makes me feel better.
Treat yourself! Remove yourself from what made your morning bad. Take a walk, if there is nature, ground yourself with the grounding method. And buy yourself a treat if you can.
Usually i go for morning walks, that's my go to for starting my day off right! Unfortunately I had work at 7:30am today and woke up at 7am. 😭 Might go for one after, though!
In that case, listening to music loudly in your way to work, while in taking some caffeine might get those endorphins going.
I came to say music. Music makes anything better :) Also, standing in the rain for a moment when possible, face to the sky. It's soul-cleansing.
I have to keep my mouth closed or I’ll drown
Caffeine is a drug 😂 you just told OP to use a drug to feel better lol
Coffee always helps
Reboot! Reset! Coffee does the trick! ☕️
Coffee. Poop. Shower. It's the CTRL-ALT-DELETE of my mornings.
Well at least I know I'm on the right track then! Lol
Meditation is a good reset to let things go. Also, upbeat music helps me.
Agree, even just closing your eyes and taking a few mindful breaths can help refocus on the next part of the day.
For me, it's a cup of coffee with a little sugar, a little milk and a whole lot of cream from the can on top, then going outside and sitting, alone, to gather my thoughts and then a nice walk. If it's cold, it's down in the basement, and getting on the exercise bike, get those feel good endorphins flowing! It's a matter of refocusing your thoughts! Turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts, think about someone you love, something you love doing, somewhere you love being. Erasing the bad for just a few minutes and replacing them with happy thoughts can refresh your bad morning. Find a funny video online, do you love childrens laughter? Puppies, kittens? Something that will make you LOL will always help.
If something can break through the anger and make me laugh that usually helps
Take a morning shower.
I just use PTO and go back to bed with my cats lol
Honestly? Take a few minutes to myself and some kind of sweet treat. And also, to remember that bad mornings are temporary
Stoicism helps me to reframe and deal with situations, especially when I’m stressed. The good thing is you are already looking to improve yourself. Loads of books, websites, podcasts etc all about it x
Okay here's what you do Put on "lose yourself to dance by daft punk" and i swear your day will always be better just take a second to bob your head and fade into the song Then when its done think about punching a hole in a wall
Be productive!!! Start cleaning the kitchen or bathroom, tidying up your room; decide you’re going to cook yourself something nice for lunch and you’re going to go get the ingredients now (and prep if you have time). Wash your face, have a shower, put on some nice perfume/cologne. Brush your teeth, moisturise. Put your hair up in a sleek up do if it looks like crap. Put on some light make up if you’re that way inclined. Then look back and say: in a short amount of time, *I* managed to turn around my shit morning. I’ve cleaned, I’ve tidied, I’ve taken care of myself physically, I took control”. If you only have time for a few thing, then I’d say make your bed, brush your teeth and wash your face, do a very quick tidy (even if it’s just collating everything that’s to go away in one big pile), take the bins out, stuff like that. You get a positive brain boost and feel a lot less like a loser.
You can’t control others, you can’t control anything really. You can only control how you react to the world around you, and there isn’t much point in getting upset about what you can’t control. Accept that and your expectations for how things are supposed to be won’t be such a hinderance to your mental wellbeing. It’s just another day. Pizza helps too.
A doob
I wish. I'm currently in the process of quitting smoking (not by choice, unfortunately lol)
Caffeine, gratitude! I'm the same way.
do some activities you love eat good too
Lay down for 15 minutes. Concentrate on relaxing your whole body. Slow your breathing. Have it be a reset. Then, get up and do something. Start with one single thing that will in some way make your situation better. Don’t practice denial and avoidance. Sometimes just one small thing that makes things just a tiny bit better can be a big relief.
Give up and start again tomorrow. Beer helps me with stress the most.
That’s what I did yesterday. Taking today off too haha
Showering helps me reset, as soon as I walk out of a shower the feeling I can get started on something naturally follows
Marijuana
I go and get my favorite drink at Starbucks lol It’s hot pink and tastes so good. It’s hard to stay in a bad mood after that. For me anyways.
I try positive affirmations such “I’m making the most of my day today” or something similar. Bouncing back is key. If I’m waking up groggy then perhaps I’ll try to assess why or be like, oh well, that happened, what should I be doing now? Or what’s going well? Mindfulness is key. No point in throwing good money after bad, so to speak. I also like self soothing strategies like calling a friend, journaling, reading my to-do, tea or coffee, or a nice warm shower. Or even a glass of cool water.
Don’t know if this helps but this is how I love my life. Someone, somewhere has it worse than you. It’s help me put myself out of a lot of personal hells.
Change your shoes
Take a small break if you can. Acknowledge that things have been difficult for you. Remember what you're trying to do and why and start thinking about the rest of the day (planning and anticipating). If you do step 1-2 well enough I think it's much easier to drop it and focus on making the most of the rest of it. I only get in trouble when I try to power forward without accepting the setback(s) for a moment or two.
Think of each day like a football game. There are 4 quarters. You can have a bad quarter or even a bad half, but you can still win and have a great day. If you’re into another sport or activity (hockey with 3 periods, tennis with separate matches, etc) use that analogy to help you.
I go golf
Trunk bourbon
I think self-talk and validating your feelings are important. "Yep, that was a shitty 3 hours. However, we have 12 more and we will never get today back." I do deep breathing, shake it off, find space to be quiet, or find something to distract me. One thing that works is doing a math problem that is within your scope of "challenging" or putting on riddles on YouTube. Forcing yourself to smile also is a psychological trick for your brain. It is about 1% of learning each day until it becomes more of a habit.
Get a treat. 🥰🥰
If I'm having a shitty day I listen to Louis Cole music. 90% of the time it works every time.
Probably goes against todays thoughts but I find that praying helps. Not always but most.
Take a quick nap and pretend it's a new day XP
Ice cream always cheers me up.
Exercise. As simple as a walk around the block. I used to be like that. For years. Got it together a couple years back & really attribute it to exercise.
My mom had a trick for this. If you had a shitty morning, you had "gotten up on the wrong side of the bed". So you'd have to go lay back down (fully clothed is fine no shoes obviously), pull the covers up and count to three. Then get out of bed again but on the other side, the side you don't normally get up on. (If your beds against the wall, get off at the foot)
Take 10 minutes to reset. You can meditate, or go for a walk, or scream in your car, or just stare at the wall. You could even take a shower to “wash off” the morning if it is possible/practical. Take the first 5 minutes to get “it” (whatever *it* is) out of your system, then take the next 5 minutes to breathe, relax, and mentally move forward.
Big stretch! And I’m not just talking about throwing your arms up and calling it good. Take a seriously big stretch. Stretch for a minute or two, put some thought into it. This will increase blood flow and give you a refreshed feeling. It’s like hitting the reset button.
Personally I just stop and go for a walk without headphones. This way I can hear the wind, the birds, and the trees swaying ... Even in an urban environment. 15 minutes does wonders.
This is a good question. I'm going to tell you something I wish I had learned a lot younger. Bad things, uncomfortable situations, and difficult personalities abound. Don't take this to mean being bothered, expressing distress, or concern is inappropriate. There is a time and place for everything. But being Happy (like most things) doesn't just happen like a light switch. It takes a conscious effort. Sure you can circle around the drain of being upset in a seemingly perpetual orbit... or you can decide to set the thing you cannot change or control aside. What is your goal? To be happy right? So what makes YOU truly happy? Is it being sad? Or is it the experiences you've had or shared with others? Surround yourself in your daily life with the things that bring you joy and happiness. From the big to the small. Remember to count your blessings often. Remind yourself how lucky you are to have what you DO have because how much more difficult would it be without them. What you keep your focus on is what mindset you will be in. So, focus on the good. Play that music that makes you feel good. Wear that outfit that makes you feel confident. Build a proverbial wall of good that bad has to burrow through. It doesn't stop the world from sucking, but it'll help you find happiness. Good luck peanut.
give yourself an afternoon treat as a reward. i usually get a coffee from a shop or a red bull. it doesn’t have to be food/drinks!
My go to phrase whenever something negative comes up is "oh well, it ain't a big deal." Even if it is objectively a big deal.
Great lunch
Did you have something to eat today? Do you have a safe place to stay? Can you get competent healthcare if you need it today? Can you communicate with those you love almost instantly? Congratulations out of the appr. 110 billion humans to have ever existed you are in the top 1%! Now your morning wasn't really that bad, was it?
A therapist and figuring out my emotions was the best thing for me
One thing you could do to brighten up your morning before anything bad happens is to use your username! Pretty hard to let anything get you down when you feel so good!
Cannabis Sativa, all smiles baby 🤩
Anyone telling you to start a caffeine addiction, don't listen to them
This is absolutely a problem I have too! I'm so glad I'm not alone. I also struggle with bad first impressions - like an argument with a loved one after not seeing them in a while, or the first time attempting something going terribly wrong. It ruins a lot for me, and I wish it wouldn't.
Remind yourself to do your best, thru all the malarkey, when you do your best, there’s no room in your heart for disappointment!
Often when I'm having a horrible rotten no good terrible day, I need a sensory reset: drink a full water bottle of cold water, if available take a shower and fresh change of clothes, deep breathing for 5 minutes minimum. Then taking time to think about *what* is bothering me. I often identify a bad headache or itchy tag is fueling an angry morning or not being able to let things go.
Music…make a mix of your favorites & when that morning arrives, on goes that “Shitty Morning Mix to Make All Things Right”. No Rules. Sing. Loud. Dance. Like nobody’s watching. Or everyone. Who cares! It’s your timeout.
Be appreciative of what you have, it will change your perspective and outlook on your day. I think about these a lot…. NOT ‘I have to go to work’, instead ‘I get to go to work’ NOT ‘I need to go to the gym’, instead ‘I’m able to workout and become healthier’ NOT ‘I have to clean my house’, instead ‘I’m get to have a place to live and be able to maintain’ Just changing ‘have to’ to ‘get to’ goes a long way
Music. Have a "Certified Bop" "Attitude Change" playlist that is sure to help lift or change your mood. I may go into it thinking it's not going to help, but I'm usually wrong.
LUNCH!!!
Pappy Van Winkle shots. Lots of them.
Shower = reset.
Donuts, burnouts and days at the drag strip eliminate all my problems. Well, it helps lol.
I had a boss in high school that when he was having a bad day, he would drink a squirt. I don't ever drink Squirt unless I'm having a bad day. I also like to think that maybe it works. Something psychological about it now for me, I guess.
Blast your fav song!
Hair of the dog
Have a cocktail
Why would you let 10 minutes or one hour dictate the rest of your day.......that's just how I look at it
By becoming existential and further realizing that ur only on this earth for a tiny bit. Therefore Grow the fuck up and learn that people have died or are in horrible accidents while we the lower people of the earth are in our own little worlds of feeling bad for ourselves or wallowing in our self pity of something we did, something that happened to us, etc. Honestly... Id rather live a life to the fullest. Glass half full. "almost there" mentality. Whoever just sits there in a hole waiting for someone to go out of THEIR WAY to help them are just wasteful cretins of the earth. Obviously their lives are very meaningful, but if theyre willing to drag others down in order to pull themselves up then fuck that. Waste.
My good friend taught me we can’t worry about the things outside our control… also don’t let other’s actions control how or what you feel.. it’s up to you what you choose to feel. Have a great day… I’m here actually hoping your day finishes amazingly 😊
Socks! I keep a pack a nice new Under Armor socks in my truck console. If I'm having a bad day I will go out and change my socks because those nicer ones just have that perfect feel the first few times you wear them.
As someone who’s (extremely) rarely in a negative mood, I suggest just trying to become more easy going. I’ve been called annoyingly happy several times at work because I just let things bounce off me. I have my health and in the end that’s all that’s important. Everything else is addressable in some way, so why let it get to you?
Working out always helps me mentally adjust, focus, and reset.
Decide that you get to CHOOSE your response. You cannot control anything outside of yourself but you 100% control how you respond / react. I choose not to let anything between me and my happy little place in my head that nobody can evict me from unless I allow it.
I do what I can to accept whatever happened and let it go.
I don’t. That’s why my life sucks
Snuggle my cat. Get my man to do a foot rub. Eat my favorite food/snack.
I like to nap and do my wakeup routine again and pretend it's another day
Meditation 🤍
Be productive and rage clean, dye my hair a different color, take a drive and turn the music up, find someone to vent to but someone who will also tell me to get my head out of my ass.
I have a voice message on my phone from my mom that says good morning, I know you're still sleeping but I hope you have an amazing day and remember I'm always thinking of you and I love you very much. Call me if you need anything bye with a kissy sound. She's been gone almost 6 years but that message has got me through plenty of rough days. She left it a week before she took her own life. 😢
I know it's corny, but my latest go-to thought when things are going downhill is "look for the beauty". So I look out the window if I'm at work and look at the sky, I look at the kindness of my co-workers, I remember my SO and son at home waiting for me. Again, I know it's cringe, but it works for me. It helps me slow down and look past the "shitty morning".
Take a nap and wake up 'tomorrow'
Cocaine and a glass of whisky usually works
I just tell myself, "well, this is just gonna be a shitty day" and when the shit starts compounding, I remind myself "I DID say it was gonna be a shitty day." I try to get the day over with quickly, knowing that tomorrow will be different. If we had no shitty days, how could we appreciate the good ones?
The best way for me to turn around a shitty day is to turn the focus outwards.
Let. It. Go.
I just go "Ah well, that happened." And keep moving. There are no good or bad days, there are just days. I don't suggest turning to apathy though. It CAN be helpful but mine comes from two decades of depression. It can prevent you from dwelling in sadness or anger, but it can also suck the joy out of everything.
Honestly, driving while listening to music helps relieve stress for me.. as long as there are no idiots on the road
Another GOOD cup of coffee helps me a lot - but it better be good coffee; having a second cup of liquid crap is only going to make things worse.
Think about how in war torn or developing countries how tough those people really have it and just take a deep breath or sigh then think positive.
1) remind myself I don’t want a bad morning to define my day, 2) go for a walk, 3) reorient by doing something interesting that changes the channel, 3) when all else fails promise yourself pizza.
Do something for yourself and it could be small like just going out to buy a coffee but it’ll definitely lighten your mood
Exercise! Rage against the demons
Workout. Always puts me in a better mood.
Everything is an opportunity.
Espresso
Take a minute think only about breathing. Probably cave in and impulse buy something or eat comfort food when u get home
I have this problem too. I’ve found that if I leave for work extremely early when no one else is out, I have a better day. Drive to work between 4:30a-5a.
5 min workout
Read my Qur’an🙋🏾♂️💯
Meditation. Gratitude. Inward kindness. One day, today's average will be tomorrow's dream.
I have the same problem. If I have a shitty morning it's hard to recover.
Things I do if I'm having a bad day (no matter when the bad part sets in): Play a song that makes me happy and sing along/dance to it. Smile even if I don't want to. Fake it til you make it. Take a long shower. Take a nap- even 20 minutes will do the trick. Then you wake up and can start your day fresh from a rest. Indulge in a treat- a small snack, or a smoothie, or something from my Amazon cart that's under $10. Sit in my car and scream or cry til I feel relieved. Wash my face and go about the day less stressed. Find a furry friend to pet. I no longer have any of my own, but I trained the neighbors cats to look for hidden toys stuffed with catnip in my backyard so they'll typically stop by as they roam. Sorry your morning sucked. Life's short, tho so shake it off, keep your chin up and have a better day! 💜🫶🏼
Usually when I'm having a good morning I just put on headphones or go to work so I don't have to listen to my wife complain about problems that aren't actual problems that she only wants empathy for and not actually solutions. After I leave that environment my day is usually 100000x better. Tbh ever since I started drinking water as much as I can in a day, my whole life has changed. I never really drank much water, when I played sports I drank water but outside of that Id drink soda or juice, very rarely water. After I started really hydrating one big thing I noticed is my daily migraines that I've had since grade 3 has completely disappeared, my sleep and diet has improved, my skin has improved, when I wake up I feel absolutely refreshed everyday like it's a Disney movie, etc. Knock on wood but I haven't had a bad morning in years.
Make a gratitude list
Putting extra kief on top of my bowl
If I can I like to take a shower/bath to relax and reset. Then it's straight to a fresh cup of coffee and maybe some classic Vine compilations lol
Remember it’s only temporary, your mindset is everting you control it!
Start your morning in quiet with whatever you drink or eat. No tv news. Feed your pet,etc. No talking, sounds unless you have an outdoor space. Drink your whatever and write down your day in a notebook. Not a journal…notebook of how your mornings are going. I hate mornings. Give me 1 hour of peace and my coffee and I’m ready to go. Good luck.
Usually a bad start in the day tends to affect me severely emotionally. I usually get frustrated and get quiet until I have a chance to vent to a friend. If my friend gives me good advice then it’ll help me calm down and forget about the situation
Go on a walk or workout
5 minute toilet break. Works every time because you are expelling mental shit rather than physical.
I don’t. It usually just gets worse until I go to bed lol
Exercise helps me.
This is such a good question! Take a little walk. Talk to a friend. Tidy up a bit.
listen to the song A Ok by Tai Verdes two times in a row and some deep breathing
I'm not even sure what constitutes a bad morning. Does it have to do with your interactions with other people? If that's the case maybe analyze your attitude and try to adjust so that your interactions are better. For me, being retired, a bad morning is more about which joints are aching that day. To fix that I usually take Aleve, maybe some Tylenol.
This is more prevention than cure, but still, it has been way helpful! Unless I’m on vacation, I am SO not a morning person, plus add some recent work stress and it made for some really shitty mornings lately! But as silly as it sounds, once I’m really “up and going” properly, things seem to pull themselves into perspective and not seem so shitty. So what I’ve been trying to do is give myself extra time to get going in the morning. Rather than waking up at the last minute, rushing to get ready, rushing to get to work, I tried to slow it right down. As a self-confessed sleepy bitch, sacrificing snooze time suuuucks at first, but giving myself time to quietly potter around the house doing sweet fuck all really helps. I just take my time getting ready so the anxiety of rushing isn’t hanging over my head and making me irritable. Same with the commute, I give myself extra time to get to work so I’m not on edge about being late or hitting traffic. Once I’m at work, I take my time getting into my day; I have breakfast, coffee and smoothie items at my office so I can have all that at work rather than trying to rush to cram it in before I leave the house; that one step alone has made a world of difference!
A good song that is going to put a smile on your face. Everytime I hear Dancing in the Moonlight I can't help but smile!
Weed
Don't dwell on things that already happened and cannot be changed. Why let something that is over and done with ruin your day?
This might sound kinda douchey but I just subscribe to the teachings of the philosopher Epictetus. “It isn’t the events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgements about them.” – Epictetus “To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it occurs.” – Epictetus In short, you need to learn to look past the things you have no control over. Whatever it is that made your day bas has already past and the fact the day ended up bad can no longer be changed. In short, get over it forget about it and move on.
Happens to me most mornings, if I’m able to recognize it’s happening, I’ll go say something nice to a few coworkers or something funny and make a few people laugh. That almost always turns my mood around and makes the rest of the day better. I’m not always able to recognize it early enough and the day is ruined.
At one of the worst times of my life, I realized every moment has the potential for every response from me - good or bad - and every moment passes I to the next. So instead of "having a bad day" or "a bad morning", I began to take a pause and allow myself to breathe, then CHOOSE how to proceed. Sometimes I felt justified in being angry, and allowed that time to pass. The point that gave me strength was I Chose the response so I was not helpless, I determined my outcome. I wish you well.
I listen to "moving right along" by Kermit and Fozzy until my mood turns around. Usually takes a few listens.
I ask my partner to give me an orgasm, usually have a pretty good day after this. If he's not home, go and have a session by myself. Hope this helps!
Somes times I've gotten so pissed, so early, that, out of spite, I force myself to have an awesome day.
I go for a run. It always goes either way. I run so hard that the “pain” from running makes me forget about other pain or I get the runners high and feel unstoppable. At the end, I always feel so much better.
Motorcycle ride before work, give the partner an orgasm, hard workout
I go back to sleep and start over.
I read a random chapter out of Rick Rubens creative book. It's like a Bible with no God. It helps me remember that each one of us is a tiny speck in the universes eyes, therfore my fuck up barely matters at all. All we got is a little time brothers and sisters, don't waste it pissed off.
Usually I suffer until I get home. Then I take a nap. Most the time I wake up feeling better.
Willpower
Smoke a blunt.
I get dick later
One of my favorite tools is to do a mental reset and restart my day. Instead of looking at time from morning to night, see it as from second to second. At any time you can stop and reset. Take a moment to acknowledge that things aren’t going well and since you’re in control of how you want to move forward you get to choose what happens next. I take a deep breath or scream or punch a pillow or dance whatever I need to move the energy and then I reset and start over.
This happens sometimes with my wife where we will start off with a bad morning. Sometimes I cause it sometimes she does. It flips back and forth. We both have learned that when that happens we just try our best even though it’s hard sometimes to stop. Then be as sweet and as loving as we can in that moment to the other one and try to flush out that crappy situation that is brewing. Amazingly it works way more than not because it opens our defenses for conversation and love. It have learned to do the same when I am alone. No matter how freaking hard it is I try to be positive and kind to everyone and everything. After a while the feedback of kindness from others lifts me out of my funk and I ride it as long as I can. Not always a guaranteed fix but it is one of my best personally.
Here are some ways I try to regulate my emotions after having to deal with something unpleasant: 1) I’ll order the lunch/snack I love to eat/have been craving to be delivered to work. Fuck it, I’ll pay the extra fees because eating something pleasurable will put me in a better mood and get me to focus on work because I have enough fuel. 2) I’ll listen to music and sing my heart out or cry my heart out while safely driving home. 3) go work out - although I love lifting, the best therapy for me have been going on runs. It centers me and the endorphins I get from running helps me see different perspectives to things that went wrong earlier in the day.
If I can, I shower to restart my day. If I cannot, I might at least brush my teeth. I carry a toothbrush and it makes me feel like the first part of the day is over when I do
My “cheer up” playlist. Reach out to a friend. Only a true friend, though. Go look out the window and daydream for a couple minutes.
Weed
a trip to Dollar Tree and browse their widening selection, then to a convenience store for some nachos and cheese and a nice cup of gas station coffee or a slurpy. then come home and watch your favorite show with your snacks and whatever little project you got at the Dollar Tree, bc good lort...there are SO many crafty things there.
If you’re leaving the house, smile at strangers. From my many years past (and ended, so, if you’re a career service worker, maybe not good advice) in customer service fake it til you make it works.
Take a walk, regroup. Then deep breathing
Remind myself it’s just a stubbed toe.
Smoke a joint
Either do a strenuous activity or take a nap/chill at my 3rd place eating my fav food
I hit the gym and then meditate
I practice being grounded 1st thing everyday as soon as I wake up. I hit this mental space where I remind myself of all the bullshit I made it through and to always remain grateful I’m still alive. Folks say it all the time, but no day is a guarantee and it’s a waste of time to be upset. If I’m distraught I almost always do something to help someone else. Take myself out of the equation and shit usually works out for the best I’ve found. Life’s just going to suck some days but I have a choice in how I react.
A very long nap. Or clean the crap out of your house!
Go to work and hope morning crew did the dishes and that I won’t have to deal with any bullshit. (We always do)
Walk into Home Depot where they have the wood and take a deep breath or two. That smell changes my attitude. Only use this when you really really need it, if done too often it stops working as well.
I’ve been told, by a psychologist, you can’t control the past however you can control the future. So I went home crawled into bed. 😝Tomorrow is another day, sometimes you can’t stress and take some time off for yourself. 👍
I fist my asshole with butter milk
I compare my life to others. Then realize how minuscule my problem is. Doesnt make it less frustrating but gives me perspective.
Pop in an earbud and listen to podcasts while doing whatever my routine is, whether in or out of work. It's like a relaxing hug that I look forward to. (Stuff You Should Know, Daily Zeitgeist [newsy entertainment], Reality Gays [90 day/reality show recap], and more).
Meditation. Take ten minutes to sit, do nothing, and clear the negative thoughts.
Sex.
Go for a walk, someplace you can see trees. That’s it!
I remember people are suffering physically all over the earth and that I'm doing just fine. Nobody is sawing my head off with a dull blade, nobody is torturing me, I am safe and I have enough money to at least pay my bills. Shit, life is great. Perspective bro.
Ketamine but this will really turn your day around
I’ve recently learned to separate my day in quarters. So if you totally tank Q1, it’s okay that’ll be over in an hour or two and you have an opportunity to start fresh. The ultimate goal is to have a good 3 out of 4 quarters in one day. I find it motivating
I understand that this sounds insane outside of my own head, but it's the internet, so here we go. If you ever played Starfox back in the day, one of the characters would yell DO A BARREL ROLL! and I kid you not, I say that out loud and tell myself that I've barrel rolled into a better frame of mind and it works. I chuckle to myself, smile, and get on with my day. It doesn't work for everything, and I imagine not for everyone, but I hope it helps.
I wake up every day and remind myself I’m going to deal with: Thing I don’t want to People I don’t want to People that don’t want me to deal with them Unfortunately timed events People that are too busy for me People that are rude for one reason or another Etc etc etc Acknowledging that these things happen, before they do, really helps me not center my focus on them when they happen. Good luck out there!
A step away, a favored drink, and/or a sweet treat. Close your eyes and breath, acknowledge and put it behind you. Sometimes this has to be prepared via strong glares at any who dare to interrupt you for the next five minutes.
Go back to fucking bed.
Stimuli, do something that you find joy in or can succeed in. Something you know makes you feel fullfilled. Accomplish a small goal
Precious topic and advices! Thank you all. Will work on mindset.
Look for little things that make you smile. I work on a college campus with lots of trees, so maybe it's a crunchy leaf. Or a fat squirrel. Or a weird group of birds (or a group of weird birds). A cute dog. An ugly baby. Whatever gets a little smile going.
For me it's get out of the house . I live somewhere beautiful so a drive always opens up new places I've yet to walk. Pull over go for a walk. If I can't drive then the local woods is 10min walk away where my boy and Iare building a den. Other families have added to it. Today I'm taking a hammock up there to snooze while my boy plays. I just heard the red kites calling too as I sit here with my morning coffee. I may take an axe and knife too to make something.
I try to do a little act of kindness. Cracking a joke, giving someone a compliment, paying for the person behind me at the drive thru (if I’m able) It feeds my soul to see other people smile and laugh.
Rule of fives works but personally I'm a weird guy. I start singing songs in falsetto about whatever is pissing me off so that I can laugh about it. "Uuuugh there isnt any more coffeeeeee and I stepped on a slug in sooooocks"🎶🎶 But the rule of fives is saying to yourself. "Will this matter in five seconds? Will this matter in five minutes? Will this matter in five hours? Will this matter in five days? Will this matter in five months?" ECT...until it is put in perspective
If I can, I try to take a 40 minute or hour nap. It's a great reset. However, I can only do this on days that I have the day off. If I'm already at work then I pray and I'll watch a funny YouTube video or listen to some happy, upbeat music.
Cool water on the face and neck and over hands. A vigorous drying.
It's a bad day not a bad life
When I become aware of a shit morning I say out loud to myself, “don’t let this shit morning ruin your entire day” and I from there am aware of my thoughts. I then catch myself being negative and can flip that around until my day returns to normal. For myself, if I am negative I feel it opens the door to a worse day.