Not every day is a good day. Not every day do we wake up and feel gung-ho about taking on the day with excitement and positivity, and that is ok. There is nothing wrong with waking up and just not feeling strong, powerful and enthusiastic about life; it happens to the best of us.
Maybe you slept badly, the weather is dreary outside, or there may be a plethora of many other circumstances that bring your energy levels down below par. Or maybe your morning was just super stressful and outside sources brought you down, or you are just in a funk... that is ok, it happens to all of us!
I know when I wake up in a funk or super stressed out, it is everything I can do to roll out of bed, put my positivity cap on and take on the day. However, it is important that we recognize these days, accept them as a normal party of life and know that it is ok and not to just throw in the towel and hope for a better day tomorrow. The day is not over with, there is still daylight to be lived.
This week I have been experiencing some setbacks and things that I have had to fight to not bring me down. I somehow put a scratch right the middle of my eye. I know this sounds minor and before this happened I would have laughed it off as well, but seriously I have gained a new respect for my eyes and how serious eye pain can be. I am not one to ask off from work, but Tuesday morning I woke up to an eye that was swollen shut, with pain that seriously had me curled up on the floor bawling…totally not me at all! I would like to say that my pain tolerance is fairly high, but this stinking hurt!
So, needless to say, for most of Tuesday I was locked down on the couch (which for those that know me, is so not me), not able to see, not able to read, function or do anything but listen to the thoughts within my head (scary, I know). It was so easy to be down, feel like poop and allow negativity to creep in, slowly but surely. As I laid there all I could do was feel guilty that I was not working or doing all the 100 things I needed to get down on my “To Do” list.
However, I needed to recognize this negative spiral down, stop it and attempt to dig my way back up to the top!
Way too often we talk so much about positivity and being excited and happy about life every day, but this is just not real life. Life happens and it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows; it isn’t always happiness and success. We all have hurdles we must overcome, mountains we must climb and funks to clear out of our brain space. Trust me, I have had my fair share of these days (Tuesday being one of them).
It isn’t always happiness and success. We all have hurdles to overcome, mountains to climb, and funks to clear out of our brain space.
Ways that I have found to help break this negativity and create a new outlook is to look deep within, know that days like this will happen and that I am ok, nothing is wrong with me. Next, I look around me and appreciate what I have and give thanks for the small things in life. I take a second to be thankful for a roof over my head, food in my pantries, a loving support system and a job that I can go to in order to afford these luxuries.
I keep it simple and no, this is not magic! I don’t immediately feel amazing, but it helps me get my mind headed in the right direction.
Next, I attempt to act as I would like to feel. I slap a smile on my face and tell myself that today is going to be a great day, and I am excited to be used to make someone’s day great! You may not realize it, but you would be surprised that emotions work backwards, too. I tell myself that there is something great to be learned from the day, something that will help me grow and develop in exciting ways. I visualize something positive, a positive experience or event to get my head turned around. It may be a great event that I experienced at work, a get together with friends, or my favorite is being at home with candles and the fall weather all around me… it is my happy place!
Last, throughout the day I make it a point to give those around me a genuine compliment. Open your eyes (or one eye in my instance), look around you and spend a second just taking in your surroundings and the people around you. Come up with something that you really appreciate about someone in your life. Then go out of your way to tell them and compliment them, show them your sincere gratitude and appreciation. If this doesn’t pick you up, then I don’t know what will. It is amazing to see their face light up and know that you made that person’s day just a slight bit better. It shows that you care, recognize and appreciate them!
Through my experience on Tuesday, I will not lie: it wasn’t easy and I struggled. But, by constantly reminding myself that this, too, will pass and coming up with the positives of the day, I was able to make it through, content with myself and my day.
Instead of throwing in the towel on these days, fight to turn that frown upside down. You will amaze yourself how you can make the most of these days and not throw them to waste! You are only given this moment in life, take advantage of it and live it to the fullest of your ability in that moment because not every moment will be perfect!
Let's Love More!
Alissa Nelms
