There are days where everything seems to go wrong. The fridge conks out, the washing machine overflows, the boss yells at you for something somebody else did, you realize you overdrew your checking account…you know, the vagaries of every day life that suck but aren’t going to destroy your existence.
But…these things can shift our mood and attract even worse events if we dwell on them and let them swamp us. But there are ways we can keep these events from pulling us even further down. Because, really, if you step back and look at it, while annoying, in the scheme of things, these sorts of problems aren’t earth shaking.
So how can you keep a bad day from sucking you into a black pit? Well, there are a number of ways. And pay attention, because with the law of attraction, if you focus on the negative, it looms larger and attracts more of that kind of energy.
- Take a nature break. Get outside. Breathe. Take a break and walk around in a garden or just sitting out on the lawn. Focus on the smell of flowers (or the scent of fresh snow if it’s winter). Focus on the sound of birdsong. Breathe through the stress.
- Count your blessings. Seriously, when you focus on all that’s right in your world, it puts the negative in perspective. Keep a gratitude journal. Find three things a day that you are truly grateful for and write down why they make your life better rather than just listing them.
- Find something to laugh about. Laughter is healing and it’s a big stress reliever. Whether it’s watching cute cat videos on Youtube, playing with your own pets, swapping silly stories with a friend, find the humor in your world (and I’m not talking sarcasm—that’s just another negative energy draw). It will give you much needed armor.
- Do something to help someone else. Giving makes us feel good. Giving extends positive energy into the universe. Giving reminds us that we can help where help is needed.
- Exercise helps get out our frustrations and it’s good for the body.
- Tackle your problem in baby steps. Make a list of things to do in order to solve your problem and then take them one step at a time. The washer overflows. First you need to clean up the mess. Then take the clothes to a laundry mat or a friend’s house and wash and dry them. Then, if you are not (like I’m not) good with machines, find a reputable repair person to check out the washer and give you an idea of what needs to be done. When you’re looking at the water on the floor and the clothes soaking in a tub of bubbles, it’s hard NOT to feel overwhelmed. But remember: problems can be fixed. Focus on the first step, then go onto the next. You don’t have to do everything at once.
So, what else do you do to (healthily) diffuse tension and stress over every day issues? What are your go-to stress busters?
Thank you for this post. I had one of those overwhelming, everything going wrong days today. This was just the reminder I needed not to sweat the small stuff and just breathe.
Reading a book helps. My 2 cats sometimes pick up on my moods an one will come over and snuggle.
All depends on my mood, but I have a few things. Laughter is one of them. I’ll watch Monty Python or Red Dwarf for that (I’ve rewatched those a lot). I’ll read a book and let myself just escape, sometimes the character’s lives remind me that my problems aren’t that bad and I need to stop treating them as such. I’ll write things down, I’ve found that I think better when I write it down, even if it’s just a fiction story that I can take my frustrations out on. Lastly, I talk to my mom. She always gets me to think it through logically, or at least point things out that I may not have noticed.
Lately I have been looking at pictures. My mom takes wonderful photos so I go to her FB page and scroll through enjoying beauty through her eyes.