Do These 3 Things to Get Back On Track
We’ve all had those days.
You wake up, have an idea of what you want your day to look like, and list out the 5 things you need to get done.
You get started. Halfway through your first item, it happens. Things are not going as planned. Something with the first task is off. Maybe you don’t have the tools you need to finish it, or someone didn’t show up to the meeting.
“It’s OK,” you tell yourself. “Things will get better with the second task.”
You start the second task. Oh crap. It’s happening again. This one isn’t going as desired, either! The line was too long at the post office, and now your schedule is getting messed up. Your dog wouldn’t go poop as planned so you had to take extra time to walk him around the block again.
You start to get frustrated. You couldn’t even finish the first task, and now the second task, too?! “It’s OK,” you tell yourself, again.
BUT WAIT. Now the traffic is TERRIBLE and you’re even later than expected to an appointment.
WE HAVE ALL HAD THOSE DAYS. (PS, mine was yesterday).
#1. Today SUCKS.
#2. What gives?!
#3. IT CAN GET BETTER.
You might be thinking: “But Shelby. Sometimes we just have bad days. Why try to make it better?”
You’re right. There are times when we just have bad days. Here’s the thing, though. We don’t want to make it worse by torturing ourselves and staying in that negative space. When we’re having bad days, things seem to be going wrong, “it’s like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife”, our minds are filtering the good stuff and only focusing on the bad (or what’s going wrong).
We don’t want to perpetuate that, ya? We want to recover ASAP to start focusing on all of the great shit in our lives.
“Alright Shelby, makes sense. So how do we do it? If it’s hard, I’m not doing it. It’s already been a bad day.” (ahem, I agree).
GREAT NEWS! It’s easy peasy. Also, the reason why I know this? I did it yesterday. My morning started off by going not as planned. I went on a training run for running event (Ragnar, for you crazy runners out there) and my body was NOT having it. I ended up stopping less than halfway through and walking home. Next, I went to go vote and my usual polling location was closed. I had to go find another one, and there was no parking. Then, the line was insanely long. I got home and it was way later than expected. I was feeling pretty defeated. Let’s talk about how I got out of it (or at least just started to feel better).
Take a step back and observe the events objectively.
Take a step back and observe the events & your thoughts objectively, as if they were happening to a friend. Could he/she done anything differently? How would you respond to your friend now? Sometimes this helps to realize there was very little (if anything) that you could have done differently to change the outcome.
It can help to write down the events in your calendar, even after they’ve happened. I do this, and sometimes it helps me realize that there is only so much time in a day- everything can’t be completed at once.
Do one small thing (ANYTHING) that brings you joy.
Taking even 10 minutes to listen to your favorite song at the moment, dance in front of the mirror, grab a coconut water, have a Starbucks coffee, call a friend, take a nap, read a book, what a funny YouTube video… (you get the gist) helps to get you out of that funk! It’ll make you smile, release some endorphins, and calm your mind. You can do this!
My choice yesterday? After I walked home from my run-gone-wrong, I completed a 30 minute arm workout. It made me feel strong AND accomplished after quitting my run early.
Complete or start to work on ONE task from your to-do list.
Review your to-do list. What is ONE small thing that you can either finish in its entirety or at least begin? Once you start to just make headway on your to-do list, even one task, you feel SO MUCH better. It’s as if your body realizes, “What a sec. I got this.”
Yesterday I did this by beginning to write out a blog post at the end of the day. Once I started writing and creating the structure of what I wanted to talk about, I felt so much better. I didn’t even finish the task- I only started it. It helped me see my day as productive and not as a nonsense filled, wasted day.
Next time your day isn’t going as planned, try these three tips out. Trust me, they’ll get you movin’ and groovin’ in the right direction.
Want more tips & tricks on how to get unstuck and create goals that you’re insanely passionate about? I’m currently accepting clients into my new 3-month program, Awakening Through Movement, created specifically for this purpose! We are working on what to do AFTER you’ve completed your to-do list! After I completed graduate school, I was completely lost. My to-do list was finished. I was stuck. I didn’t know what to do. Well, 10 years and many management/executive positions later, I’m ready to show you how it’s done.
Check out the link HERE for more information on how we can work together! You can also send me a DM on instagram or an e-mail here.
- Shelby