Some days are just lousy. Okay—we can say that these days just plain suck.

And there doesn’t have to be a particular reason.

We can wake up on the wrong side of bed—no matter how much we have to be grateful for. We can be in a mood—and even more annoyed by the fact that we can’t pinpoint one single reason to be in that mood. We can feel an overall sense of irritation—recognizing that we need to find a way to get through the day without causing damage to others.

We know that it’s just a day, 24 or less hours that we must show up and be as on our game as possible.

The social media memes of positivity won’t move you. The daily calendar with an encouraging point to ponder won’t move you. And everything in the world to be grateful for won’t do a thing—but tick you off even more. How dare you feel angry and annoyed when you’re blessed? You have been fortunate. Your problems are minimal when compared to others.

Yet you’re miserable. You’re simply a version of yourself that even you want to get away from.

As I grappled with this mood today, I acknowledged just that—it’s a mood. There’s no fixing it. There’s no cure. There’s only making it through the day without infecting, or (worse) hurting, someone else.

When we attempt to resolve a mood such as this, we lose. There is no resolution—there is only the gift of tomorrow, when, if lucky enough, we will have another chance to do it all again—in a better mood!

Yet my callousness led me to think about happiness. How we search, spend, and pray for happiness. We want to feel good at any cost. We need to be productive, satisfied, and blissful.

Well, I have news for you—not possible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

There are times when we feel angry, bitter, and hurt—whether justified or not. There are times when we feel selfish, childish, and petty—whether justified or not. And there are times when we are deeply unhappy. Period.

Yet this is life. Our bad mood today can lead to the best day tomorrow.

So what to do when this happens?

Check yourself at the door. In each and every encounter you have on that given day, be reminded of your mood. Most likely it’s you, not them. And don’t shoot to kill—as a matter of fact, don’t even position that bow and arrow. You’d be certain to inadvertently wound someone who doesn’t deserve your sour mood.

Ride it out. Focus on tomorrow, trusting from experience that you will be back to yourself, managing life, and people, more reasonably. Limit your social, and even professional, interactions as much as possible.

Choose healthy, nutrition-rich food and be sure to exercise. Sugar highs, sloth, or carb overload will most definitely add fuel to the fire.

Don’t shop—online or otherwise. It’s safe to bet that you will overspend while seeking instant gratification and wake to regret those decisions. Then you’ll have sound reason for your mood—reckless spending!

Ride it out, get to sleep early, and trust that this, too, shall pass.

~

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