Your Day, Your Choice

You wake up on the crabby side of the bed, you bump into the ex that dumped you on Facebook, and your mailbox is overstuffed with past due bills. On the surface any or all of this could make for a bad start to your day – if you let it.

The bad stuff has already happened. A rough day need not be anything more than a false start, so decide to reboot and leap ahead with your happy feet forward. Here’s why and how to do it.

You have a choice
When things crop up and threaten to ruin a perfectly good day, you have a choice. Why not make it an optimistic one? Does rehashing the past help you get to a happy future? Probably not. Will obsessing over how so-and-so left without a word do anything to help heal your heart? Nope. Does dwelling over your debt help you crawl out of it? Unlikely.

Not only are you rolling around in badness by dwelling on things, you are prolonging your pessimistic mood instead of moving onto an optimistic one. Instead, take control of the outcome of your day. By doing so, you have the potential to change things for the better, as opposed to continuing to stack the negative cards against yourself.

Shift your energy
So, you’ve decided to give your attitude an adjustment, but how? Start simple. Shift your position, get out of bed, move from inside to out, walk around the block. By instigating action you will move yourself through your current state, the one that is threatening to bring you down. Once you have adjusted your body physically, you need to work towards shifting your mental outlook. As hokey as it may feel it is important to reinforce yourself positively – plus it works!

Whether that means staring yourself down in the mirror and reminding yourself how fabulous you are, writing and posting positive affirmations around you (on your mirror, your fridge, your car dashboard or computer), or engaging in positive inner self-talk, any and all of these acts will serve to reinforce your decision to make your day a good one.

It is best to start by relying on yourself for encouragement, but once you’ve taxed those resources it will further your cause to then turn to others for the positive reinforcement you need. A peppy friend or loved one, a faithful furry companion, food and drink that will fuel your soul in a positive way (avoid those vice foods and drinks which may drag you down instead of up), or simply watching or reading something inspirational can give you the boost you need to keep your energy flowing in a positive direction.

Mood shifters
Try these tips for turning life’s minor tragedies into triumphs:

1. Put on your happy suit – a fabulous frock, some cool duds, a fashionable hat, something that makes you feel at your best. By slipping into something that makes you comfortable, soon enough you’ll start to feel that way.
2. Time passes, so do moods, make the most of that by staying busy. The more you bustle and hustle through your day the faster time will fly. Before you know what hits you, your day will be over and you’ll be hitting the sheets for bed leaving a dismal day behind in favor of a good one.
3. Do something for someone else. Chances are, no matter how bad your day started, there is someone out there that is having a worse day than you. Why not shift focus off of your own circumstances and turn them towards somebody else that could benefit from a little bit of TLC. By helping someone in need you’ll make them feel a whole lot better and chances are you’ll wind up helping yourself in the process.
4. Sing yourself out of sadness – belt out songs in the shower, scream classics out your window as you hit the open road, tackle an open mic night. Clearing your lungs makes you feel better on the inside and out.

Days come and go, as do good moods and bad. If you stay in a funk you’re prolonging pain instead of moving forward towards all of the great possibilities of the day and your life. Who wouldn’t want to feel better if given the chance? So go ahead, give yourself the chance and permission to have a beautiful day.