Surviving a bad day.
Some days just go wrong.
You might have felt it from the first moment you woke up today,
Late.
Or maybe things started well and then took a turn in the wrong direction when you got that annoying message and then the day just continued to unravel from there.
Maybe you feel like this bad day is just one more in a string of bad days.
Whatever the case,
I'm glad you've landed here just to take a moment for yourself.
In this practice,
We're going to breathe,
Reset,
Rest.
And give you an opportunity to think about some options to end out your day on a more positive note.
Let's begin exactly where you are right now.
We're going to find a position that feels good in your body.
If you're at work.
You might put your head down,
Or if you're in a more open space in the office,
You might just sit back in your chair,
Find a comfortable way to rest your feet,
And just gaze into the distance.
If you're parked in your car somewhere safe,
You can recline your seat back and find a comfortable position.
And if you're at home,
You can completely sprawl out,
Just surrender to your bed or your floor with your arms and legs,
Out.
You get the idea.
Is take a moment here to find that position that just feels restful.
We're going to spend the next few minutes resting like this.
Notice how your body responds.
Does it feel as though your muscles are tight?
Or have you been able to let go of a bit of tension in your jaw or in your shoulders?
You're just noticing here.
Does anything feel contracted?
And if so,
Can you exhale and allow that space to release?
Getting through a bad day takes energy.
Do you feel tired right now?
Or do you feel restless and agitated?
It might feel difficult to just stay in one place.
And I get that.
If you're exhausted,
If you feel depleted,
I want you to just stay in this restful place.
If you're feeling a bit agitated,
Go ahead and stand up and allow yourself to pace or to walk.
You can do this practice however you would like.
Now let out a noise.
Just let out a sound to reflect how you feel in this moment.
How would you describe the sound of that release?
Did it sound angry?
A little sad.
Frustrated.
Dull.
Or non-existent.
You might feel too depleted or exhausted to make much of a sound at all.
That's okay.
This is information.
This is information that can help you out of feeling this heaviness of a bad day.
Just watch and be curious here.
What is happening in your body in response to this bad day?
Something feels different,
Not just in the mind,
But in the physical body.
And I don't want you to react to it or judge it.
I want you to notice it.
And let it be there.
So maybe that feeling is depletion.
Maybe that feeling is anger.
Maybe there's tension just locked into your joints.
Maybe you have no energy.
Find out what's going on.
Just observe the inner body.
Physical.
And then the mind,
The quality of your mind.
Sometimes our minds are so busy.
Sometimes we feel just a dullness because we're so exhausted.
Sometimes we're planning and catastrophizing.
Where is your breath?
Open the mouth as you exhale.
Does that exhale sound smooth?
Or rough.
And jaggedy where it's catching as you exhale.
That's a sign of tension.
So we want that exhale to be relaxed and smooth.
To take a few moments.
And breathe in naturally,
Exhale with awareness.
This is giving you information.
If you don't know if the body is tense,
Listen to your exhale.
What do you need for the rest of today?
Maybe this feels good right here,
Staying here a little bit longer.
Maybe you need to keep pacing.
Maybe a walk is going to do you good.
Maybe you need to take a shower to release and rinse the day.
Maybe you just want to go to bed.
Realize that this moment,
This day,
Is not an all or nothing situation.
One moment or a series of bad moments doesn't reflect the value of who you are or your worth.
Except having a bad day without judging your emotions around it.
This is a moment in time.
It's impermanent.
And it will end.
Just as much as a great day is fleeting.
Even if tomorrow doesn't appear to look much better or much brighter than today,
Stay right here,
In this moment.
Watch how your feelings about the events of the day or the experience you've had or are still having has a flow.
Your emotions will rise and fall,
Just as your breath does.
Emotions aren't permanent.
We tend to feed our emotions and carry them in a certain direction.
You probably know exactly what you're gonna be thinking about if you were to just walk away and allow the rest of the day to go.
You may have been here before.
You may feel like this is validating some narrative.
But it's not.
It's this moment.
That is different than any other moment.
And the difference is that you are paying attention to exactly what is happening within you.
Let your feelings and emotions move freely.
Don't try to direct them.
You don't have to do anything with them because you are not your thoughts.
You don't have to predict what will happen or try and change the situation.
Or make yourself feel worse,
Or punish yourself.
You may have to do things.
And you might have to do things that don't make you happy.
There might be people in your way.
All of this may be true.
But in this moment,
Go gently with it.
Let the irritating,
Agitating,
Infuriating,
Prickling sensations move in.
Through you.
It can be very uncomfortable,
Because this is probably unfamiliar.
But remember,
What we resist persists.
Rest here and surrender.
Or continue to move if that feels better for you.
You As your mind begins to wander,
Bring it back to the breath.
Focus on your exhalation.
Break the feedback loop.
The mind may be bringing you back to because that's familiar.
This is a challenge,
But I know you can do it.
You Now slowly sit or straighten back up.
Ask yourself what you discovered.
This practice is about discovery.
It's about listening and watching.
There are a couple practical things you can do to help you just finish your day in a more positive light.
It's said that if we can accomplish a very simple task,
It can give us a sense of accomplishment and we can just end the day,
Start fresh tomorrow.
One of those tasks could be as simple as putting away the laundry that's been sitting in your basket all week.
It could be unloading the dishwasher.
And if you're at work,
You may dust off your computer screen or straighten out your work area.
A little job easily done can put a positive stamp on a bad day.
What is one thing that you've noticed from this practice?
I hope this was helpful.
If so,
Save it in your back pocket for when you need a little reminder on those tough days.
Tomorrow is a new day and I hope it's so much better.
Be well.
