We all have those days. You know the kind I’m talking about, right? The ones that you have carefully and thoughtfully planned out with a neat list of manageable tasks to check off, a few scheduled appointments, and some wonderful self-care all lined up. Ahhhh, heavenly! Except… It all goes sideways. Someone gets sick. Meals get skipped. Self-care gets sabotaged. Deadlines get missed. You find yourself going from blissed-out to pissed-off, and from boss on top of your game to curled up in fetal position under a blanket.
My last sideways day looked a little something like this: The first appointment of the day was delayed by three hours, which then set off a falling-dominoes chain of events: rescheduling, scrambling, cancelling, more rescheduling, and a whole lot of stress. Feelings of frustration and irritation slowly start boiling over, and lord help the next person to say something stupid/rude/insensitive to me (I’m looking at you, 3 hour late mansplaining contractor!) GAHHH!
So what can you do to keep yourself from completely losing your shit when your day goes sideways? Here’s my Top 3 Tips:
- Just Breathe
- Get Over Yourself
- Face Forward
Just Breathe. Okay, right now is when you want to give yourself a quick time out and just take a few deep breaths. We call these “cleansing breaths” for good reason, because slowing yourself down to pause and breathe is the quickest way to immediately diffuse a tense situation. Changing the energy inside you will change the energy around you, clear your mind, and allow you to make a calm next step. A few deep, relaxing breaths can shift you from a path that leads to blind rage, and instead put you back in control of the situation at hand.
Get Over Yourself. Yes, the situation is annoying and you wish it was different, but it’s not. It is what it is, so instead of jumping into victim mode, remove yourself from the equation for a few minutes to regain perspective. Remember that sometimes, shit just happens and nobody is immune to it. See this series of events as an opportunity to let go of things you can’t control, and learn new healthy ways to cope with disappointment, frustration, or anxiety.
Face Forward. No matter how derailed your day may have been, it is all going to be OK. You can remind yourself that you’ve been through tough days before, and just like you made it through the last time you are going to make it through this one too. You may need to course-correct. You may need to learn a few new things. You may have a cool battle scar at the end of this one, but dammit, you surely aren’t done yet missy! Your life is not linear, it’s a winding journey and this is just another part of the scenery. Keep moving forward.
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