Today was one of those days. You know the ones… everyone was running late, all the people need something, the day is full of unpleasant tasks, and the month feels longer than the money? My day had a few of these things plus I had to get a dental consult and the bill is HUGE for an upcoming procedure, the bank was unable to help me and gave me a 1-800 number to call and when the bank finally returned my call they put me on hold!
Nothing truly catastrophic and I do have a lot to be thankful for—insurance to help with the cost and dental care to fix my teeth, a business that requires the services of the bank, a cell phone to make these calls. I know that—but knowing that I’m fortunate is only so helpful in the moment of frustration. For me at least, it’s a helpful realization after the fact to let go of residual irritation and to prepare for future annoyance.
In this post I want to share four strategies for dealing with those days.
First up, just keep moving forward. I wanted to give up at each of these steps. But I knew that leaving these jobs undone would feel even worse later on. As unpleasant as it was to go to the dentist and to sit on hold, in hindsight, I’m thankful I pushed forward and took care of these unpleasant jobs. Have you read “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy? I love the idea that you tackle the worst, hardest, most unpleasant, essential tasks first. Once I get to the afternoon, I don’t have the focus or the desire to take care of unpleasant tasks.
Second, rock out to happy music. For me, a CD or other option through the AUX cord is the best so I don’t have to mess with commercials. The radio is a great free option and it will work in a pinch but the commercials can be really distracting. When I’m already struggling, the last thing I need is my music stopping to tell me I need a new car, should change insurance or must get an ice cold coke. (mmmmmm… coke—I digress!) What are your favorite albums for lifting your mood? I love Lauren Daigle, Zach Williams, and Kane Brown.
Third, be kind to everyone. That includes myself. I interact with a lot of people every day and how I behave matters. I have to CHOOSE to be kind to myself and to others when the day seems set against me. Today I had to choose to be polite with each of the associates I talked to and I had to choose NOT to berate myself for waiting so long to schedule each of these items on my to-do list.
Lastly, laugh about the situation. Yes, laugh. I hit a wall when the bank returned my call in order to put me on hold. Kevin chuckled as I fell to the floor in mock despair. Both dogs came to lay with me and check on me. It was all just a little comical. In that moment, I could have slipped into anger and taken it all out on the associate that answered my call later. And part of me would have felt justified. But at the end of the day, I needed help with the bank and raging at a customer service agent wasn’t helpful to that end.
So there you have it, four simple steps to lower your stress on terrible days. And once you are past the challenges, be sure to put it in perspective. Terrible is all relative.