How to Get Through a Bad Day

Any of us have had bad days. Whether a bad day stems from a problem with someone at work or school, from bad grades or bad weather outside, we’ve all experienced it. The important thing is that you need to work through that bad day and get rid of the negative emotions so you can feel more refreshed when you wake up the next morning.

Table of Contents

Release Negative Emotions

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Find a quiet place, or isolate yourself from the space of negativity. It is important that you allow yourself time to process the negative emotion you are experiencing. If you have a bad day at work, you can close the door of your office and turn off the lights to create a quiet space for yourself. Or if you’re having a rough day at school, find a quiet place in the library or park near your school. You need to find a quiet and isolated space where you can process your emotions and release any tension or anxiety. Try to find a place where there are no phones, no computers, no co-workers or friends as this can be a source of disruption for you. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Do the 5-minute reflection exercise. Once you’ve found a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed, you can do a quick exercise to release any negative emotions or thoughts. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Close your eyes and sit still for 30 seconds.
Focus on breathing. Breathe deeply through your nose. Try to breathe slowly so that you can inhale and exhale in long, deep breaths. Do this step for about 1 minute.
Continue breathing slowly and deeply for the next 2 minutes. Ask yourself the following questions: “How is my body feeling? Stress? Painful?” “How am I feeling myself? Angry? Sad?” “What am I thinking about? What events led to such a bad day? What can I do to improve my day?”.
Take an extra minute to sit and breathe. After the 5 minute workout is over, you can open your eyes.

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Accept that today may not be the day for you. Trying to force yourself to be happy when you’re in a bad mood will only make you feel worse. So instead of trying to fight off a bad day, being aware that you’re having a hard time can help you accept and deal with it. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Try to identify the source of the negative emotion. Look back at the negative emotions you’re experiencing, and think about the things that might have caused you to have a bad day. Is it because you feel stressed out at work? Worried about the test? Frustrated with someone you know? Try to summarize the source of a bad day in three words or less. For example: “Sad because of Lan” or “stretched with guests”. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Research has shown that the act of expressing emotions through words can greatly reduce the impact of those emotions. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Sometimes, bad days don’t come from an obvious cause. So, if you’re having a hard time pinpointing a specific source of the unhappiness you’re going through, don’t force yourself to answer. Simply realize that you are upset and focus on actively trying to process your feelings.

Exercise and Eat

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Go for a brisk jog, slow jog, or go for a walk. One of the best ways to get through a bad day is exercise. In fact, research has shown that regular exercise can boost your energy levels and help you deal with stress. ^{[8] X Research Resources} Focusing on other activities will help you stop thinking about your bad day and also help you work through any negative emotions you may be experiencing. Exercise physically and allow your mind to rest. ^{[9] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to Source}^{[10] X Research Source}

Do cardio (heart exercise) for at least 30 minutes, or spend 10 minutes doing a brisk workout.
If you can’t go to the gym, you can do simple activities such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a walk on your lunch break.

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Practice restorative yoga poses. Continuous and rhythmic exercise, such as walking, swimming, dancing, and yoga, is great for relaxing the mind and body. These exercises also include movement, so you’re forced to focus on something else instead of thinking about your bad day. Restorative yoga will help relax the body and allow it to heal itself. But you don’t have to go to a yoga class to do yoga. Instead, you can practice yoga while sitting in a chair at your desk. ^{[11] X Research Source}

The lotus position is a traditional sitting posture and can be adjusted, so you can practice it right at your desk. Sit comfortably in a chair, keeping your neck and spine straight.
Cross your legs so that you sit cross-legged in the chair. Place your hand on your thigh, palm facing up, touching the tip of your thumb and the tip of any one of your other fingers. Breathe deeply through your nose for 10-15 breaths.
Not only will this exercise calm your mind, but it will also relieve any tension in your spine area from sitting all day at your desk.
You can also try a relaxing pose to ease your mind. Cross your arms and place your hands on a table or other flat surface. Rest your head on your hands and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and hold this pose for 10-15 breaths.

Take care of yourself

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Practice deep breathing. Breathing exercises can help reduce stress levels and make you calmer after a bad day. Sit in a quiet place, straighten your back, and try these two breathing exercises: ^{[17] X Research Source}

Breathing Exercise: This exercise is great when you are feeling lethargic or exhausted after an unhappy day and want to wake yourself up.
Inhale and exhale quickly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but remember to relax. Your breathing needs to happen at the same time, but the shorter the better. Don’t hesitate to make sounds during this exercise.
Perform three cycles of inhalation and exhalation for 1 second. Your diaphragm, located just below your ribs, will bounce up and down quickly similar to your breathing. For the first time, do this exercise for 15 seconds. You will probably feel a little dizzy for 1 minute after completing the exercise.
Continue breathing as usual after completing the first 15 seconds of the exercise. You can continue to work out, increasing it by 5 seconds until you can do a full 1-minute workout.
Exercise 4-7-8: This breathing exercise is great for bringing calm and relieving stress.
Touch the tip of your tongue to the upper front teeth. Exhale through your mouth, making a hissing sound. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold your breath for 7 counts. Then, exhale through your mouth, making a hissing sound for 8 counts.
Continue to inhale and repeat the cycle for 3 times to complete 4 breaths. You should make sure you don’t make a sound when you inhale air from your nose and make a hissing sound when you exhale through your mouth.

Steps

Release Negative Emotions

Exercise and Eat

Take care of yourself

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