A ways back I wrote Let Go, to encourage you to just dive into the process, relax and let the benefits come. Today I happened across an article on Livestrong.com about getting over a bad day and getting back to normal.
Funny thing, a lot of the advice they give for fixing a bad day, and that I give for fixing much larger problems turns out to be the same. Without regurgitating everything said, let’s hit the high points. Their advice for getting over a bad day include (but are not limited to):
- Create a positive mantra for yourself
- Control your breathing
- Get in a workout
- Go out in nature.
Now, I’ve been planning to write on self talk as it relates to self image and a healthy lifestyle, and I really will. For now, let’s just think about that positive mantra. A mantra is simply a thought you want to manifest, to make real, and is a powerful tool in attaining whatever result you seek. Think that positive thought, manifest that positive energy, and make yourself feel better.
Controlling your breathing is a powerful way to control your mood, and your attitude. When we are stressed our heart rate increases and we tend to breath shorter, faster and through our mouths. The reason controlling our breathing is so important is that when we breathe through our noses, we generate nitrogen oxide (NO).
NO has a bunch of beneficial effects due to the fact it makes our blood vessel walls relax, increasing blood flow, leading to an increase in oxygen uptake. But mostly that’s helpful for exercise, what NO does for fixing a bad day is related to its role as a neurotransmitter that helps to reduce anxiety. We’ve always known that breathing exercises help regulate our moods, now you know why.
Get in a workout, you’ll bust up the cortisol you built up over your stressful day, clear your head and tire out your body for a good night’s sleep.
Best of all, you can combine some, or all, of these activities into one, which ties in nicely with my thoughts on efficiency in working out. Want breathing and a workout? Go to yoga. Want breathing and nature? Go for a walk. Want all three? Get on your bike.
We all have bad days, that’s just life. But something we all need to do is find our own path to getting past those bad days in order to live the best life we can. It’s a funny thing, all those years ago when I started doing yoga I thought I was just signing up for my summer dry land training before getting back to hockey.
I never thought it would form the core of a healthy lifestyle that has given me so much. Including, as it happens, a terrific method for getting over a bad day.
Positive affirmations where you reflect on yesterdays successes and good times go a long way into making the day ahead look better.