How to Handle a Bad Day & Get Unstuck
Do you ever have the kind of day when you just can't get into a positive headspace, no matter how hard you try?
Maybe you try thinking about what you're grateful for, or you whip up your favorite coffee, put on a good song -- but nothing seems to help.
You try asking yourself, "What would make me feel good right now?" And the answer back is …. Crickets. Nothing feels great.
If only you could just SNAP OUT OF IT and get back to work -- after all, your to do list is a mile long!
In today's episode of the Courage & Clarity Podcast, I'm going to teach you one quick way you can bounce back from a bad day when you just feel kinda funky -- and this method might really surprise you, because it's probably not what you think.
Ready for it?
Just. Stop. Working.
Seriously. Stop. Put the laptop down. Step awwwaaay from the to do list.
I know it may be tempting to push through. And I'd believe you if you told me that the LAST thing you want to do is stop working right now.
What you REALLY want me to tell you is some kind of quick fix to help you transform from a grumpy procrastinator to a super productive to do list smashing machine!
But it just doesn't work like that. And here's why.
We are all wired to work in CYCLES. I know it would be more convenient if we could be switched "on" all the time -- but if you think about it, what specimen alive or inanimate can really do that?
EVERY creature on earth rests sometimes. Crops are not harvested year-round. Flowers are not always in bloom. Heck, even the incredible computer you hold in the palm of your hand, the iPhone, has to be charged!
Why is it that you believe you are some kind of exception?
Now I'm certainly not suggesting that you wait for perfect conditions to complete your work. When you wake up in a funk, it's absolutely smart to try all your normal tricks to get yourself into a good place.
But some days? Some days you try and it's so clear that you've just hit a wall.
On those days, I always do the same thing: I stop what I'm doing and I run a hot, hot shower. I stand there and think and just be for as long as I feel like it. And I don't work on my business for the rest of the day.
This has taken me a LOT of practice to get here, and on the funky days I still resist it. But I've been doing this long enough to know something REALLY important: my best, most groundbreaking work cannot possibly come from that funky, negative, tired & broken headspace.
It isn't about trying harder. It's about listening to what my head & heart really need before I waste a bunch of time trying to create something, only to inevitably be disappointed in how it turns out.
"It isn't about trying harder. It's about listening to what my head & heart really need before I waste a bunch of time trying to create something, only to inevitably be disappointed in how it turns out."
Here's a great little parable to remember for this. In his book You Squared, Price Pritchett talks about a fly buzzing on a windowsill. The fly is desperate to get outside where it belongs. It keeps getting up, believing it should beat its wings harder and try again and again and again -- but the window is closed, and no matter how much EFFORT that fly puts in, it won't change the fact that the window is closed.
The worst part is that in this scenario, the fly has no idea that the door on the other side of the room is open -- he hasn't stopped beating his wings long enough to realize that he could stop, fly across the room and out the door.
So while there's absolutely a time & place for more effort & trying harder, part of becoming a more efficient creative is learning to read your own signs and recognize when you just need to stop and step away.
The craziest part for me is that when I give myself permission to throw my hands up and step away for the day, the FOLLOWING day I typically wake up in a totally different place, with fresh creative juices and a new perspective.
So the next time you find yourself in having a truly funky day, ESPECIALLY if you've been pushing extra hard lately, I want you to SWAP.
SWAP:
Stop
Walk
Away
Pick a nourishing activity where you can just be
I already mentioned that for me, it's a hot shower. Every time. This works for me because it feels good, I don't have to think about it, and I can just get quiet. I won't be tempted to pick up my phone and escape because, well, water.
Feel free to steal that idea, OR think of an activity that would work for YOU -- maybe it's a trip to your favorite coffee shop, a long tech-free walk, or even a nap.
Give yourself permission to take the rest of the day OFF. TRUST that tomorrow will be different. REMEMBER that everything and everyone, including you, works in cycles. BELIEVE that you have what it takes to get back in the game when you're ready. And know that your creative, positive self WILL come back.
Now it's your turn. Tell me in the comments -- what do you do when you just need to turn off for the day?